On June 28th, at the promotion ceremony for senior officers of the New York City Police Department (NYPD), Inspector Chungyoon Huh became the first Korean-American female Deputy Chief in the history of the department.
Born into a police family in South Korea, Huh immigrated to the United States in 1987. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in English Literature from Busan Women’s University, and has studied Journalism at Indiana University and Accounting at New York University. Prior to moving to the U.S., Huh worked as an administrative assistant at the U.S. Embassy in Korea.
Sworn into the NYPD in 1998, Huh has made numerous “firsts” as a Korean-American woman in the department throughout her career. She was the first Korean-American female Police Officer, Sergeant, Lieutenant, Captain, Deputy Inspector, and now, Deputy Chief.
Following her promotion to Deputy Inspector, Huh has been assigned to the Fifth Precinct in Manhattan’s Chinatown and the Seventh Precinct in the Lower East Side, where she served as the commanding officer for community outreach and the personnel department. She has also served as the commanding officer of investigations for the Manhattan South Patrol Borough.
Currently, Huh has been appointed as the Executive Officer of the Patrol Borough Queens North, serving as the Deputy Borough Commander.
Huh previously served as the fourth Vice-Chair of the Asian American Police Executives Association (AAPEX). In response to her promotion, AAPEX issued a statement congratulating Huh on her achievements and highlighting the increasing number of Asian-American officers within the NYPD, with over 3,000 Asian-American officers among the department’s 36,000 uniformed personnel.
“Asian-American individuals have become crucial participants in the NYPD, undertaking the important task of protecting and serving the people of New York City,” stated AAPEX in their announcement.
“The promotion of Deputy Chief Huh will inspire other Asian-American officers to seek advancement through promotional exams and enrich their experience in patrols, investigations, command, and management. She is truly a trailblazer and a role model for all Asian-American police officers.”