The National Police Agency’s No. 2 Kim Ki-yong, 55, has been nominated as the new commissioner general, police said on Monday.

Kim will replace Cho Hyun-oh, who offered to resign on April 9 in responsibility for lax police response to a high-profile rape and murder case earlier this month.

The police commission held a meeting in the afternoon and picked Kim as the single nominee to be recommended for appointment by President Lee Myung-bak.

Kim joined the police after passing the state administration exam in 1992. He has headed Chungnam Provincial Police Agency and Seoul Yongsan Police and served in the NPA’s Intelligence Bureau. He was promoted from the NPA’s Police Administration Bureau chief to deputy commissioner in January.

“It is with a heavy heart that (I take this post) in such a difficult and sensitive time … If I assume the post as commissioner, I will quickly freshen up the atmosphere and put utmost efforts into establishing public security and maintaining law and order,” Kim told reporters.

The police came under fire earlier this month when a 28-year-old woman was murdered on April 2 more than six hours after she made a distress call to the police.

By Lee Joo-hee (jhl@heraldcorp.com)