Interpol appoints new president

The international law enforcement agency Interpol on Wednesday appointed South Korean Kim Jong Yang as its new president. The decision was made during the agency’s annual assembly this week in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, attended by most of its 194 member countries. Kim had been serving as acting president after China detained former President Meng Hongwei as part of an anti-corruption sweep in September. “Our world is now facing unprecedented changes, which present huge challenges to public security and safety,” Kim said. “To overcome them, we need a clear vision: We need to build a bridge to the future.”

The United States and some European nations rejected Russian Alexander Prokopchuk’s bid to assume the agency’s top post. They argued that appointing Prokopchuk, who also serves as a general in the Russian Interior Ministry, would allow Russia to use the organization to track down its political opponents. Russia dismissed the claims as a “campaign to discredit” Prokopchuk, who will remain a senior vice president at Interpol.