Seoul: The chief of the Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency has been appointed as the deputy commissioner general of the Korean National Police Agency (KNPA), police reported Tuesday. This appointment effectively makes him the acting head of the national police force amid an ongoing vacancy in the top post.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Kim Jong-chul has been named to replace Yoo Jae-seong, who has served as the acting KNPA commissioner for over 20 months. The KNPA applied a regional avoidance principle in the reshuffle, a strategy where senior officers are generally not assigned to their hometowns or regions where they have close ties. This is aimed at strengthening impartiality and preventing corruption within the agency.

As part of this significant reshuffle, 14 out of 18 national police agency chiefs at the city and province levels, accounting for 78 percent of the total, were replaced. Additionally, over 80 percent of senior superintendent general ranks were also replaced in this personnel shakeup, as reported by officials.

Ko Beom-seok has been appointed as the new chief of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, while Yu Seung-ryeol has been promoted to head the Incheon Metropolitan Police chief. The KNPA expressed plans to overhaul its personnel system further and expand the regional avoidance strategy to other key posts in future reshuffles.