A South Korean civic group has declared Nov. 14 to be the “Day of Banishing Water Cannons.” The day was named in honor of Baek Nam-ki, a farmer who was knocked down by the blast from a police water cannon during a large demonstration in Seoul on Nov. 14, 2015. Baek eventually died from his injuries.
On the afternoon of Nov. 14, a team at the Baek Nam-ki Campaign Headquarters that monitors the use of state power and the Civil Society Organizations Network in Korea held an event called “One Year After the Water Cannon Attack: Declaring the Day of Banishing Water Cannons” in front of a memorial wall for Baek at Bosingak Park in central Seoul.
On Nov. 14 of the previous year, Baek was at the four-way intersection at the entrance to Jongno District Office when he was hit directly by the jet of a police water cannon. He collapsed and fell into a coma, eventually passing away on Sep. 25.
The groups at the event criticized the government for even now refusing to apologize or take responsibility for Baek’s death, even though the immediate cause of his death was the water cannon, which clearly constituted a violent murder by the state.
“When [student activist] Lee Han-yeol died after being hit by a tear gas shell in 1987, June 18 was declared to be the Day of Banishing Tear Gas, and tear gas was banished from this land. We declare this day to be the Day of Banishing Water Cannons so that unfortunate incidents like the death of Baek Nam-ki may not happen again,” the groups said.
The groups concluded their event by marching to the intersection by Jongno District Office where Baek was knocked down by the water cannon. There, they read the declaration and held a ceremony in which they destroyed a model water cannon made of balloons. On the same day, the groups also submitted a petition to the National Assembly declaring the need to ban the use of water cannons and to revise the part of the law that limits the places where demonstrations may be held.
By Park Su-ji, staff reporter
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