Interpol’s general assembly voted Wednesday to make South Korea’s Kim Jong Yang its new president.

Kim had been serving as the organization’s acting president and will serve a two-year term, Interpol said.

He replaces China’s Meng Hongwei, who disappeared while visiting his native country in late September and was later said to be detained on bribery allegations.

Ahead of the vote, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo strongly endorsed Kim to win.

​”We encourage all nations and organizations that are part of Interpol and that respect the rule of law to choose a leader of credibility and integrity that reflects one of the world’s most critical law enforcement bodies,” Pompeo said.

The result of Wednesday’s election was to some degree a surprise after many considered Russia’s Alexander Prokopchuk, one of Interpol’s vice presidents, as the front-runner in the race.

Kremlin critics said putting Prokopchuk in charge of Interpol would politicize the organization. A group of four U.S. Senators accused him of being “personally involved” in what they call Russia’s routine “abuses of Interpol for the purpose of settling scores and harassing political opponents, dissidents, and journalists.”

The Kremlin said opposition to a Russian candidate amounted to election interference.
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