hankyoreh

The long-range acoustic device, sound cannon, that police are currently seeking to introduce is a device used overseas against pirates and terrorists, among others. In 2005, one was used to repel pirates approaching a luxury liner off the coast of Somalia with a 150-db compressed sound wave. The reason sound cannons have never required safety testing despite being produced and used in the United States is because they are fundamentally devices to be used against enemies. Now, the police of South Korea have reportedly said they intend to use this device against citizens. It is a notion unimaginable to anyone who does not view protestors as heinous criminals akin to pirates.
It has now come to light that the police themselves determined that there were issues with the safety of these devices and postponed their introduction of them. Sources say that Cho Hyun-oh, commissioner of the Korean National Police Agency, proposed their introduction to the agency in April, when he was head of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, but the proposal was rejected because safety checks had not been conducted. Just five months ago, the police said they could not use sound cannons for safety reasons, but they have done a 180-degree turnaround now that there is a new commissioner. It is simply beyond belief.
The dangers noises pose to the human body go beyond the imagination. Those in the military are familiar with the aftereffects of gunshots pounding on the eardrums during shooting drills. In some cases, people are left with hearing loss or tinnitus for the rest of their lives. Sound cannons present an even more serious risk than this. In a city like Seoul, the intensity of the sound may become magnified as the sound waves reflect back off off buildings, and it is apparent that not only protestors but ordinary citizens as well will suffer the damages.
The individual who applied for a Korean patent on this device went so far as to issue a warning.
“If you set the angle of the sound cannon to the front and send out a 150-decibel noise, there may be rupturing of the eardrums.”
Police are now trying to hasten the introduction of this exceedingly dangerous weapon without carrying out proper safety tests. Seeing them unconcerned with the outpouring of concern, one has to ask whether the police have already gone deaf before even using the sound cannon.
This is a stern warning to Cho Hyun-oh. The people of South Korea have not forgotten his insulting remarks about late President Roh Moo-hyun or his falsified address notifications and sundry other illegalities that came to light during his National Assembly nomination hearing. He should have withdrawn from consideration in the first place, and we cannot stand by and watch as, far from exercising self-restraint, he instead pushes for the introduction of a new weapon without a thought for citizen safety. We hope he will immediately withdraw his plan for introducing this extremely dangerous sound cannon.
　　
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