Conservative politicians heaped criticism on Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon on Friday over his remark that the city should not allow police access to fire hydrants for the purpose of firing water cannons on protesters.

The ruling Saenuri Party called the mayor “irresponsible,” saying that the mayor has the duty to protect public order and safety in the event of illegal, at times violent, protests.

“What the mayor said Seoul will do risks breaking the law,” said Rep. Cheong Jin-suk, Saenuri’s floor leader.

“If Seoul belongs to Korea and its mayor is in the public service, they should willingly cooperate with the central government in the exercise of authority on illegal protests,” he stressed.

A former civic activist himself, Park made the controversial remark on a radio show Thursday, openly holding police responsible for the death of a protester, who fell into a coma after being knocked out by a blast from a water cannon during a rally last year.

The capital, he said, will disallow the use of street-side fire hydrants by police for the purpose of controlling protesters.

“Fire hydrants are there to put out fire and save lives, not to kill people with water cannons,” he said.

The death of Baek Nam-ki, a 69-year-old activist farmer, on Sept. 25 has set off another political battle between conservatives and liberals, with the latter joining forces to push for an independent counsel-led investigation.

Three opposition parties earlier this week jointly submitted a motion calling for the appointment of the special prosecutor to look into the case. Saenuri has vowed to block it, warning any move to ram through the motion would lead to a parliamentary paralysis.

Baek’s doctor at Seoul National Hospital sparked a fresh round of controversy when he listed the cause of his death as illness, not external cause as critics, including an association of doctors, argue.

Footage and images of the protest scene, widely shared on SNS, show that Baek was possibly targeted. The footage shows him being hit in head by a blast from a water cannon, with water continuing to spray him for nearly 20 seconds while he lay motionless on the ground.

By Lee Sun-young ()


koreaherald@heraldcorp.com