Reuters
International police body Interpol elected Kim Jong-yang of South Korea as president early Wednesday morning, beating the Russian frontrunner whose candidacy sparked concerns across the Western world about the risk of Kremlin interference. Kim will succeed China’s Meng Hongwei, who disappeared in September and later resigned after authorities in Beijing said he was being investigated for bribery. Serious concerns had been raised in Europe and the U.S. about Russia’s Alexander Prokopchuk, a police major-general and one of Interpol’s four vice presidents who had been widely tipped to win. A bipartisan group of U.S. senators accused Russia of exploiting the global body to settle scores and harass dissidents. Upon his election, Kim said: “Our world is now facing unprecedented changes which present huge challenges to public security and safety. To overcome them, we need a clear vision: We need to build a bridge to the future.”