Korea Airports Corp. (KAC) has repeatedly turned to former police officials to lead the state-run airport operator, with security concerns taking precedence over aviation and management expertise in selecting its top executives, industry officials said Thursday. The appointment of Kim Won-joon, former chief of the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency, as KAC’s 14th president on Wednesday has revived questions over why the airport operator continues to favor security officials for its top job. Kim is the fifth KAC president with a police background since the airport operator was reorganized into its current structure in 2002. A former military general and a former intelligence official have also served as KAC president. An aviation industry official said the pattern stems largely from the special nature of airports. “Airports are not simply places for aviation operations,” an official from the industry said. “They are facilities closely linked to national security, which is why police officials with expertise in security have frequently been selected as leaders for the organizati
