Apparently overseas:
South Korean makers of tear gas and water cannons, used by riot police to quell demonstrations, are turning to foreign police agencies for sale to replace shrinking local demand, police and company officials said Thursday.
“Companies that make police equipment contact us for help in their marketing to foreign police,” said Park Jung-joon from the National Police Agency, who deals with overseas relations.
“They invite foreign police officers over and ask us to demonstrate how to operate the equipment,” he said.
South Korea banned the use of tear gas bombs in civic protests in 1999. Early this year, the chief of the National Police Agency, Huh Joon-young, declared that the police cannot fire tear gas canisters, water cannons or other harmful weapons at civic and student protesters.
Companies are increasingly turning overseas to compensate for waning local sales. Daewoo International, one of the leading trade companies in South Korea, started exporting police equipment to Indonesia in 2000. Last year its accumulated sales volume in the Southeast Asian nation topped US$8 million. The company is now contacting Algeria and some Middle Eastern countries.
23 Comments
That tear gas they produced was truly some nasty stuff.
One more thing, if I remember right, wasn’t or isn’t the tear gas company owned by a woman? And if I remember right, the wealthiest woman in Korea… At least in the early 90s I think that was correct.
Anyone know for sure?
Yes Plunge, I that’s what I remember being reported. I think she earned more than anyone else in 1987 because of the “June Struggle” that year. Naturally, chaebol tycoons earned more, but they earned it illegally and it went unreported.
I rambled a little on this story, too.
Was she the one who apologized to Lee Han yul (??´??œ??´)?€™s mother, when he got killed? She said that she would change his business after the incident, but it sounded like she didn?€™t give up the business. I consumed a lot of tear gas made in early 90s. Even smoking smelled so sweet compared to tear gas, but toothpaste was definitely the best antidote.
I’m unhappy that no one has used the brilliant “This story brings a tear to my eye” gag.
June: Yeah, I’m pretty sure I remember that moment on TV.
I wonder if they sell it to North Korea.
i found the following article in joongang daily (japanese version only though) now you see they diversify the market other than NK.
the thing bothers me is even the media seem to be proud (as typical korean behavior to proud of anything) of SK’s demonstration repression technology….
For demonstration repression, South Korea is the highest! ” Want to learn Know-how”
Recently, the violence demonstration in South Korea decreases greatly, and the demonstration terrorism-related equipment maker has turned his eyes to the oversea market.
The foreign police also shows interest in the equipment from South Korea, and is wanting to study the repression know-how of the South Korean police.According to the place National Police Agency on the 26th, in the diplomatic international trade department and the National Police Agency, there have been a lot of inquiries of demonstration terrorism related equipment from each country of Africa, the Middle East, and Asia including the Philippines, Kuwait, Algeria, and Ethiopia.He mainly wishes the purchase of the discharge machine of a tear-gas bomb and a tear-gas bomb, a shield, a nightstick, a sprinkler truck, etc., and the concern about the shooting institution in which a simulation is possible is also referred to as large.
The examples to which the management of the foreign police visits direct South Korea, and inspects the equipment situation of the police are also many patterns.According to the police, initiation of the technology relevant to [ in part ] demonstration terrorism repression of the South Korean police, the security system at the time of an event, etc. in a state, such as Hong Kong which is refraining from the large-scale international event, is also demanded.
2005.05.26 16:53:36
That stuff was truly nasty. I was 7th grade kid when I witnessed one of those in the early 80’s - just a kid trying to catch a bus to go home. The college student protesters apparently cooked up a rag stuffed with toothpaste to counter the effect. Don’t know how effective that was. I know I was dying.
oh, i use a translation software for above translation and some partd dont make sense….should have proof read it.
basically it is about the same as yonhap, but joongang version emphasize like “foreighners are wanting to learn the world no.1 korean supression technology!!”. so typical…wonder when they grow up.
I blame tear gas for stunting my growth.
Kushibo wrote:
I blame tear gas for stunting my growth.
You, too, huh?! Yeah, if it wasn’t for that, I’d be playing in NBA.
Kushibo: So you still look like that? (Your gravatar….)
Curious: Do you look like your gravatar?
I hope I can look as good when I die. What sorta software do you write, btw?
No, that dude’s a pretty handsome fellow, but I look nothing like him!
I actually help to design and write accounting and dispatching software for taxi and other fleet-based companies.
…It’s nothing sexy like 3-D games or anything like that, but my company was into wireless data before that term existed. (We’re talking Old School: my company’s been around since the 80s.) Anyhow, I enjoy the work.
To get this thread back on topic, I have to say that as a casual visitor to Korea, I guess I’ve had the good fortune to never be anywhere near a South Korean riot. I was there in December 2002 during the protests over the incident in Uijeongbu, and as I like shopping in Kyobo Bookworld, I found myself quite by accident pretty much in the middle of things (though fortunately it was non-violent).
This weekend will be the first big test of the summer protest season, with Hanchongnyun and USFK union shit planned all weekend long throughout Seoul, meant to coincide with the USFK Memorial Day holiday in the hopes of instigating some USFK violence. I don’t know about you, but if I were protesting, I’d be a bit more rowdy if I knew the cops wouldn’t use tear gas or other “harmful weapons.”
Tune in at 1:00 p.m. Sunday as Hanchongnyun attempts to make a human chain around Yongsan!
Hands across American bases?
Hanchongnyon is so discredited among the general population. Like a Michael Moore screed, these stunts end up having the opposite effect in that they make people rethink anything belief or opinion they might have in common with these knee-jerk leftists.
I know. I have visions in my mind of 20 or so punks stretched arm to arm in front of Gate #5 with 300 Korean chun-gyung riot police on either side of them.
Okay, just how do you get the animated smiley happening there?
Where is Hanchongryon going to do their human daisy chain once Yonsan pretty much closes up shop?
Curious: colon, lol, colon.
Is there any way you can get rolling eyes?