The media frenzy surrounding police brutality in America used to be practically unavoidable. In fact, it was so inescapable that it was often easy to forget that similar problems appear right here at home. Granted, while police brutality and corruption are not as systematic and institutionalized as it is in America, Korea still has problems related to the abuse of power by the police.
The most famous example of police brutality occurred just a year ago in November, when hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets to protest the actions of former president Park Geun-hye. Although the protest was a peaceful one, the police began striking the crowd with water cannons — a decision that faced heavy criticism from Koreans and foreigners alike.
The use of water cannons incited further outrage from the general Korean public when a protester was ultimately killed. According to the New York Times, Baek Nam-gi, aged 68, was rendered unconscious by a police water cannon, which caused him to suffer a cerebral hemorrhage. He remained in a coma at Seoul National University Hospital before passing away.