First Korean officer in NYPD promoted to superintendent

For the first time in the history of the New York Police Department (NYPD), a Korean-American has been promoted to NYPD chief. The trailblazer is Heo Jeong-yoon (pictured), marking the first time in 178 years since the establishment of the NYPD in 1845 that a person of Korean descent has achieved a rank of such magnitude.

On Monday (local time), the NYPD announced the promotion of Captain Heo to the position of chief at the Queens Borough Command. The NYPD, the largest police organization in the United States, boasts a workforce of 36,000 officers and 19,000 civilian employees. Heo, the nominee for promotion, is scheduled to receive her new position after the promotion ceremony on Friday.

Immigrating to the United States 37 years ago, the new superintendent has made history since she became the first Korean-American female police officer in the NYPD in 1998. She has worked predominantly in Korean-populated areas such as Manhattan and Queens, achieving various "first" milestones in her career. After a promotion in 2016 as captain, she worked in the Manhattan South Patrol Borough and made history again in July of last year as the first Korean-American to attain the rank of inspector.

Previously, officers of Korean-American descent, including Billy Yoon, Charlie Kim, and Kim Hwan-joon, have advanced through the ranks to become captains in the NYPD. Following Heo's feat, Kim Hwan-joon also achieved the rank of inspector last month. While the promotion to captain can be achieved through examinations, advancement to the rank of inspector and above requires nomination based on evaluations from the NYPD command.


71wook@donga.com