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The controls for a water cannon truck are shown in a public demonstration at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s mobile riot headquarters on Sept. 2. This was the same type of water cannon that blasted the protesting farmer Baek Nam-gi at close range last year. (photo provided by the office of Rep. Jin Seon-mi)

When South Korean police blasted a water cannon at Baek Nam-gi, a farmer who was participating in a rally in downtown Seoul on Nov. 14, 2015, they were randomly adjusting the water pressure by stepping on a pedal instead of using the digital apparatus that allows the water pressure to be precisely calibrated, an opposition party lawmaker has learned. Furthermore, most of the agents in charge of operating the water cannon turned out not to have been certified to operate special equipment, which violates the rules set forth in a police handbook.

The police’s excessive use of water cannons to suppress demonstrations is expected to be one of the main items on the agenda of a hearing about the police’s brutal treatment of Baek that is scheduled to be held at the National Assembly on Sept. 12.

“In a water cannon truck, the pressure of the water being blasted can be adjusted either by setting the precise figures on the digital apparatus or by stepping on the pedal. In regard to the jet of water that put Baek Nam-gi in a coma last year, we confirmed that the operator was adjusting the water pressure with his foot,” said Park Ju-min, a lawmaker with the Minjoo Party of Korea, on Sept. 4.

These facts were confirmed by staff at Park’s office who attended a demonstration of a water cannon truck that was held at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s mobile riot headquarters on Sept. 2.

The police’s handbook for using the water cannon truck restricts water pressure to a maximum of 2,000 rpm (revolutions per minute) when the target is within 20 meters. The police have been facing criticism because Baek, who was within 20 meters of the car, was directly hit by a jet of water at 2,800 rpm, which was much higher than the handbook permits.

“Even during the demonstration, water was blasted at 500 rpm above the target pressure [when stepping on the pedal]. This plainly demonstrates the violence of these water cannons, which can cause harm to the human body,” Park said.

Park also looked into whether the water cannon operators at the police agency had been certified to operate the equipment in Nov. 2015, at the time of the rally. When he reviewed the certification submitted by 38 of the 57 water cannon operators, he found that only one person had a large-vehicle driving license and that nine people did not even have that. The police’s water cannon operating manual states that individuals with a license for operating special equipment or who have expertise in the area should be given priority for operating water trucks.

“The manual regards training in operating water cannon trucks as one of the possible qualifications, so, strictly speaking, you couldn’t say that the operators violated the manual, as long as they received the training in question. But it was reckless for the police to claim that driving licenses qualify people to operate machinery that can cause bodily harm,” Park said.

Former National Police Agency Commissioner Kang Shin-myung and former Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Commissioner Gu Eun-su, who was in charge of the riot police during the rally, are scheduled to testify during the hearing for Baek Nam-gi.

By Heo Seung, staff reporter

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