▲ Kim Jong-chul, the new acting head of the National Police Agency (NPA), arrives at the Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency in Changwon, about 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on Sept. 2, 2026, a day after his appointment as deputy commissioner general of the NPA. (Yonhap)

CHANGWON, South Korea, Sept. 2 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's new acting police chief on Wednesday highlighted the need for a "redesign" for the agency to restore public trust damaged by recent high-profile scandals.

The police have recently faced intense public scrutiny following multiple cases of alleged misconduct, including an improperly closed missing person case on the southern island of Jeju.

"I am worried that public distrust of police investigations and administrative affairs has surpassed a critical point," Kim Jong-chul, the new acting head of the National Police Agency (NPA), told reporters.

"There is a need to examine every detail across all aspects of police work to the extent that it could be described as a redesign."

The missing person case on Jeju stirred public outcry after a police officer was found to have closed the case without confirming the safety of a missing woman. Her body was found last week after her boyfriend first reported her missing in May.

Kim also vowed to do his best to resolve concerns stemming from the scrapping of the prosecution's authority to conduct supplementary investigations, which is set to leave investigative authority primarily with the police

The Cabinet last month approved a legal revision to abolish prosecutors' authority to conduct direct investigations, including supplementary investigation. The legal revision takes effect on Oct. 2.

Kim, who formerly served as chief of the Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency, was appointed Tuesday as the NPA's deputy commissioner general. He will serve as the agency's acting head amid a prolonged vacancy in the top post.

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