Decision comes 30 years after Korea started stacking controversial agent


Police have decided to discard the use of controversial 2-chlorobenzalmalononitrile (CS) teargas by the end of the year, which was used to disperse protests.

Instead, they will utilize less potent agents such as pelargonic acid vanillylamide or capsaicin sprays to reduce health hazards, the National Police Agency said Monday.

According to the authorities, there are 4,528 liters of CS teargas liquid, a chemical which can cause a burning sensation and the immediate forceful and uncontrollable shutting of the eyes. They amount to 44 percent of the current nationwide teargas stock.

“Since we have alternatives, for example extracts of natural ingredients such as pepper, we will no longer insist on using CS teargas,” a police official said.

The decision came 30 years after the gas was first stacked at the NPA warehouse in 1981.

The CS teargas has been at the center of controversy for its effects on the human body. Its effects include tears streaming from the eyes, coughing, an extreme case of runny nose, a sense of burning in the nose and throat, disorientation, dizziness and restricted breathing. In some cases, it is associated with burns on the skin where sweaty and or sunburned.

After the Agency for Defense Development in 2006 warned that main substances of CS teargas could cause damage to human body, the police have “selectively” used the agent to minimize the risk. The National Assembly’s public administration and security committee also asked the NPA to refrain from using the material, observers said.

The gas was hated for another reason: It was effective in suppressing pro-democracy movements under authoritarian administrations from 1950s to early 1990s.

Records show that CS teargas has been used to counter major protests. One of them led to the death of Gang Gyeong-dae, a university student who was severely injured by the teargas canister. Police used the kind of teargas at rallies by laid-off workers of Ssangyong Motors; Yusung Enterprise and Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction.

“After the Kim Dae-jung administration took office in 1998, the police were ordered not to abuse the material. And the usage has since declined,” a police official said.

The police have turned their eyes to pepper spray and PAVA liquid, which are known to cause less pain.

“We have set rules not to use teargas materials except for illegal protests,” the official said.

By Bae Ji-sook (baejisook@heraldcorp.com)