Interpol has elected South Korean Kim Jong-yang as its president, rejecting the Russian frontrunner who had been accused of abusing the international police body's arrest warrant system.

Kim was chosen by Interpol's 194 member states at a meeting of its annual congress in Dubai. He beat Russia's Alexander Prokopchuk, who had been widely tipped to win.

But there was growing concern that Prokopchuk would use the role to target critics of Russia's President Putin.

Moscow hit back at what it called a "campaign aimed at discrediting" the Russian candidate.

Russian Alexander Prokopchuk was widely considered the frontrunner for the post

The election follows the disappearance of Interpol's former president Meng Hongwei, who vanished on a trip to China in September. Beijing has since confirmed he has been detained and is being investigated for allegedly taking bribes.

Kim, who had been serving as acting president, will serve out the remaining two years of Meng's term. Upon his election, he 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."

Photo and News Courtesy: BBC