Shaheen Statement on Election of Kim Jong-yang of South Korea to Serve as President of Interpol

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committees, issued the following statement in response to the election of Kim Jong-yang of South Korea to serve as the next President of Interpol. The vote to elect the President of Interpol was held at the Interpol General Assembly in Dubai today.  

“I am relieved that Kim Jong-yang will serve as the next President of Interpol,” said Shaheen. “I’m also encouraged that the candidacy of Alexander Prokopchuk was rejected, preventing the Kremlin and other nations from further manipulating this law enforcement institution for their own purposes. Kremlin control would have allowed Putin to weaponize Interpol against his critics and political opponents even more, and would have made a mockery of this international law enforcement body. Going forward, Interpol must push forward necessary reforms to prevent its members from continuing to abuse the red notice system and address such abuses when they occur. The election of Kim Jong-yang is an important step toward achieving this goal and upholding the fundamental value of rule of law, worldwide.”