The International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) elected South Korean Kim Jong Yang as its new President at the 87th session of the INTERPOL General Assembly on Wednesday.
Delegates chose Kim, who held the post of Senior Vice-President at INTERPOL, over former Russian Interior Official and INTERPOL's Vice-President Alexander Prokopchuk during the assembly where 1,000 senior law enforcement officials from 180 countries participated in the democratic vote.
Kim will hold the post till 2020, and enjoyed support from US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo who had voiced his endorsement in a press release issued on Tuesday.
The new election comes after ex-INTERPOL chief Meng Hongwei was detained by China after he was reported missing since his travel to the country in late September. China has accused Meng of accepting bribes and is currently under investigation in the Asian country.
Kim was the acting President of the organisation before being elected to the post on Wednesday.