A man in traditional dress takes part in a demonstration as tires burn in front of the mayor's office to protest daily power cuts and water shortages during the extreme heat of summer, in Al-Mahnawiya, in the southern Iraqi province of Diwaniyah, July 21. (AFP-Yonhap)

Iraq was the destination for nearly 70 percent of South Korea's tear gas exports in the first half of this year, making it the largest buyer by volume, police data showed Sunday.

Data from the Korean National Police Agency, obtained and provided by the minor Basic Income Party's Rep. Yong Hye-in, shows that Iraq imported 478,000 of the 713,000 tear gas canisters exported by South Korea in the first half of this year, accounting for 67 percent of the total.

The data, available from 2019 onward, shows Korea’s tear gas exports surging last year to 1.58 million canisters, marking a 148 percent increase year-on-year. Total export volume from 2019 through the first half of 2024 came in at 4.73 million canisters, with 25 destination countries.

During this 5 1/2-year period, Iraq was the largest buyer, importing 732,000 canisters last year, with an additional 478,000 canisters in the first half of this year, bringing its total to over 1.2 million canisters. Indonesia was the second-largest importer with 649,000 canisters, followed closely by the Philippines at 625,000 canisters.

Iraq has seen a wave of protests this summer as activists and locals have taken to the streets fueled by mounting anger over power cuts and water shortages amid the scorching heat. According to local media reports, Iraqi security forces resorted to tear gas and live ammunition to disperse protesters.

In October 2022, Indonesia's national human rights institution blamed the excessive use of tear gas by police as the primary cause for the soccer stampede at Kanjuruhan Stadium, which resulted in 135 deaths.

South Korea, with its own history of civilian protests in its turbulent history, used tear gas against demonstrators until it was banned in 1999 under dissident-turned-President Kim Dae-jung.

Rep. Yong expressed regret that Korean-made tear gas is being used to "suppress human rights," adding that she will draw up a revision of the Foreign Trade Act to impose economic sanctions and restrict tear gas exports to countries with a high likelihood of violating human rights.