By BONG-KEE KIM AND SEUNGHO CHOI
news@ColumbiaMissourian.com

In South Korea, only law enforcement officers are authorized to use Taser stun guns. Personal ownership is not permitted.

Tasers were first used in Korea after the National Police Agency imported 700 of them from the United States in 2005. This happened a year after two homicide detectives were killed in the line of duty by a knife attack.

Korean police officers had been allowed to carry pistols, but normally the first three cartridges were blanks so the officers could give warning shots first. This made it difficult for police officers to react to sudden surprise attacks, which demonstrated the need for new equipment.

Currently, Korean police forces own 2,600 Tasers, and prosecution investigators have 98 Tasers. All were purchased from the United States.

According to the Police Duty Enforcement Act, weapons such as guns and Tasers can be used on criminals caught in the act of committing a crime or to arrest an offender whose conduct could result in a minimum of three years of imprisonment or confinement in the court of law.

Korean police have used Tasers an estimated 150 to 180 times in arresting suspects at crime scenes and stopping severe demonstrators who violate police lines.

In 2005, the first year Tasers were used, police forces used them only four times. The number increased to a total of 16 times in 2006 and then 81 times in 2007. For prosecution investigators, the gun has been used 11 times since 2005.

Initially, there wasn’t much concern or controversy about the use of Tasers. Earlier this year, national attitudes began to change after the Korean news media began citing figures Amnesty International had sent to the U.S. Department of Justice in late 2007. The organization reported more than 290 Taser deaths in the U.S. and Canada from June 2001 to September 2007.

While Amnesty International did not reach a conclusion about the role of the Taser in each case, it suggested the deaths underscored the need for a thorough, independent inquiry.

This made some in the Korean news media focus on the issue of Taser guns. Then lawmakers and civil rights organizations began to express concern about the use of Tasers by Korean law enforcement officers.

Some politicians pointed out that procedures for using Tasers were vague and could lead to abuse. Only the Police Duty Enforcement Act has a policy about Taser use.

“Disregarding the fact that no one in Korea has been killed by Tasers, we cannot just ignore the fact that it has already killed people in other counties like the U.S.A. and Canada,” said Ju-Young Lee, an assemblyman for the Grand National Party, the ruling political party in Korea. “By checking the regulations and creating a strict manual, we can prevent the worst things from happening.”

Human Rights Monitor Solidarity, a civil rights organization in Korea, has also been critical of the National Police Agency.

“Despite the fact that our National Police Agency knows that people are dying because of the misuse of Tasers in other countries, the agency is still letting its officers use Tasers,” the organization said in a prepared statement.

“Police should stop using Tasers in Korea and conduct a thorough investigation on safety of the equipment,” the organization said in an issued statement.

The National Police Agency defends its position that Taser guns are effective and not dangerous since they are used by well-trained police officers. The agency asserts Korean police forces use Tasers only when necessary.

The Police Agency reported to Assembly in September an intent to purchase 1,000 more Taser guns before the end of the year. The plan is to place at least two Taser guns in every police station in Korea.

“Before Tasers were put to actual use, 1,000 police officers had received a Taser shock to test the safety of this equipment,” said Kwan-Hwa Choi, spokesman for the National Police Agency.

“Tasers are not only useful in arresting violent criminals, but they are also good protection for police officers who are risking their lives every day,” he said.