Police push to host Interpol Asia-Pacific office in Seoul by 2029
In short
South Korea's National Police Agency is pushing to bring an Interpol Asia-Pacific regional office to Seoul, aiming to open it in 2029. A police delegation will present the plan on October 8 at the Interpol Global Drugs Conference in Prague, after which the agency wants a drug-response task force launched next year as an interim step. Approval would require decisions by Interpol's Executive Committee and General Assembly.
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South Korea's National Police Agency said it is pushing to host an Interpol Asia-Pacific regional office in Seoul, with the aim of opening it in 2029. The agency said it will set out the plan publicly and ask member states for support, according to Yonhap and Asia Economy. Newsis's feed also reported the Seoul bid and the 2029 target. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
The plan is to be presented on October 8, the last day of the Interpol Global Drugs Conference in Prague, Czech Republic, which opened on October 6 and runs through October 8. A delegation led by Kim Dong-kwon, head of the agency's International Public Security Cooperation Bureau, is attending; 89 countries are taking part in the conference, Yonhap reported. [ 2 , 3 ]
As a first step, the police agency said it will seek agreement with Interpol to launch an Interpol drug-response task force next year, made up of Interpol staff and police officers dispatched by member states in the region. According to Yonhap and Asia Economy, the task force would handle integrated analysis of drug case information, planning and coordination of multinational joint operations, support for issuing wanted notices and tracking fugitives, tracking criminal proceeds, and training investigators from member countries. [ 2 , 3 ]
The regional office itself would follow decisions by Interpol's Executive Committee and General Assembly, with the agency aiming to open it in 2029 on the occasion of the Interpol General Assembly in Seoul. Yonhap reported that the office would supplement existing Interpol hubs by providing standing support for joint operations, information analysis and training in the region, and that its remit would start with drug crime and later widen to transnational crimes including digital sex crimes and scams. [ 2 , 3 ]
The agency plans to hold high-level talks with Interpol's secretariat around the Interpol General Assembly in Hong Kong in December, including delivering a letter of intent to host the office, according to Yonhap and Asia Economy. Kim was quoted as saying that drug crime does not stop at borders, so blocking imports and striking at the source of supply are both important, and that the agency would work closely with Interpol and regional member states on the task force and the hosting bid. [ 2 , 3 ]
Why it matters
If approved, a Seoul regional office would give South Korea a standing role in coordinating cross-border police work in Asia and the Pacific, initially on drug crime and later on digital sex crimes and scams. The task force proposed for next year is the first step the documents describe toward that. Interpol decisions on the bid are still pending.
Key facts
- The National Police Agency said it is seeking to host an Interpol Asia-Pacific regional office in Seoul, with a target opening in 2029. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The plan is to be announced on October 8, the final day of the Interpol Global Drugs Conference in Prague, Czech Republic, which opened on October 6 and runs through October 8. [ 2 , 3 ]
- A delegation led by Kim Dong-kwon, head of the police agency's International Public Security Cooperation Bureau, is attending the conference; 89 countries are taking part. [ 2 , 3 ]
- The agency first plans an Interpol drug-response task force from next year, staffed by Interpol employees and police officers dispatched by regional member states. [ 2 , 3 ]
- The task force is to handle integrated analysis of drug case information, planning and coordination of multinational joint operations, wanted notices and fugitive tracking, tracking of criminal proceeds, and training of member-state investigators. [ 2 , 3 ]
- The agency plans high-level talks with Interpol's secretariat around the Interpol General Assembly in Hong Kong in December, including delivering a letter of intent to host the office. [ 2 , 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- The National Police Agency is pursuing a Seoul bid for an Interpol Asia-Pacific regional office with a 2029 opening target. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The bid is to be presented at the Interpol Global Drugs Conference in Prague on October 8. [ 2 , 3 ]
- A drug-response task force is planned for next year as a step before any regional office opens. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Opening the regional office would require decisions by Interpol's Executive Committee and General Assembly. [ 2 , 3 ]
- The agency plans high-level talks with Interpol's secretariat at the December General Assembly in Hong Kong. [ 2 , 3 ]
Still unclear
- Whether Interpol and its member states will back the Seoul bid. The documents say the police agency will present the plan and ask for support, and that opening the office depends on Executive Committee and General Assembly decisions; no decision is reported.
- What the task force's size, budget and legal status would be. The documents describe the task force's intended functions and staffing composition but give no figures or formal arrangements.