Special Riot Police Unit Established (K. Times, 7.30)
Police launched a special riot police squad to crack down on illegal protesters(*).
It will replace the current riot police beginning Thursday.
Civic groups denounced the move, saying the special police are reminiscent of
the "BaekGolDan (or White Skull Squad/백골단),'' a group of plain-clothes policemen wearing white helmets in the 1980s and 90s.
At that time, they brutally suppressed demonstrators who took to the streets to fight dictatorship.
The National Police Agency had an establishment ceremony for the team at a
police station in Sindang, Northeastern Seoul, Wednesday.
The special unit includes roughly 1,700 highly skilled police officers. They had to
complete a 6-month-long training session to join in the group, NPA said. NPA
plans to increase the number of special riot police to 14,000 by 2013.
The agency expects the special members will efficiently control protesters.
* i.e. (likely) almost all anti-gov't protests!
Demonstration of suppression (Hankyoreh, 7.31)
The riot police demonstrate how to suppress a demonstration at a ceremony for
establishing the riot police force held at their headquarters in the Sindang
neighborhood on July 30. Since February, 990 riot police officers have been
trained in demonstration suppression techniques. There were 240 riot police
officers present at the mock demonstration and all wore the standard suits of
armor.
Following the demonstration, Eo Cheong-soo, the chief of the National Police
Agency, said, “Riot police will arrest anyone who engages in illegal activity.” The
newly-trained force will begin their service in August.
On the same day, the People’s Countermeasure Council against Mad Cow
Disease held a press conference and announced that it was against the
establishment of the riot police force. At the press conference, Lee Jeong-hee, a
lawmaker with the minor opposition Democratic Labor Party said, “In 1991, a
university student died after being hit by the White Skull Squad (an organization
similar to the current riot police force). After that, our society reflected on the
excessive violence used by the police and abolished organizations like it from the
police force.”
Oh Chang-ik, the secretary general of Citizens’ Solidarity for Human Rights, said,
“I am afraid that the riot police have been trained to strike first against citizens.”
More articles about the issue:
☞ Protesters to face special unit of new riot police (JoongAng Ilbo, 7.31)
☞ ‘백골단’ 1700여명 공식 부활.. (VoP, 7.30/incl. video)
☞ “백골단 부활” 경찰관 기동대 창설 (NewsCham, 7.30)
THE COPY: The new riot cop unit (aka the "New BaekGolDan") performed their "skills":
THE ORIGINAL: The "BaekGolDan" in real action (late 1980s):
