Head of maritime police tapped as new police chief

SEOUL, Feb. 17 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Myung-bak has tapped the head of the
maritime police to be the new chief of the National Police Agency, the
presidential office said Tuesday, Lee's second nomination for the post in less
than a month.
Kang Hee-rak, head of the Korea Coast Guard, has been named to succeed Eo
Cheong-soo, who retired last month as commissioner of the National Police Agency,
according to the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae.
"National police chief-nominee Kang Hee-rak is well experienced in police affairs
as he has served in various posts and has a very high reputation within the
organization for his humble personality and his capacity" to lead, the
presidential office said in a statement.
The former nominee, Kim Seok-ki, was forced to step down as head of the Seoul
police agency in the aftermath of a police crackdown on squatters last month that
led to the deaths of five protesters and one police officer.
An investigation by the prosecution cleared the police of any wrongdoing.
Born in 1953 in North Gyeongsang Province, Kang graduated from Seoul's Korea
University, the president's alma mater, in 1976. He passed the national bar exam
in 1984 and joined the police agency in 1988.
The nominee is subject to a National Assembly confirmation hearing before his
official appointment.
bdk@yna.co.kr
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