Row rises over police response in dealing with offender with knife

Korean National Police Agency Commissioner General Min Gap-ryong speaks during the government audit held at the National Assembly on Oct. 29, last year. The picture is unrelated to the story. / Yonhap

By Kim Jae-heun

A controversy is rising over police officers overpowering a teenager who stabbed his friend with a paper cutter in the street.

Police detained the 19-year-old at 7 p.m. on Sunday near Amsa Station in Gangdong-gu, eastern Seoul, for stabbing his friend in the thigh. The victim received treatment at a hospital and returned home that night.

A part of the half-hour confrontation between the boy and police officers was recorded by a citizen and posted on YouTube.

In the video, two police officers arrived at the scene, and one first tried to use a taser on the teenager. However, he failed to hit his target and the other police officer took out his baton to overpower the offender, who fled the scene and was caught shortly after.

Watching the clip, people are expressing concerns and urging for the police to have more power, because the perpetrator had a knife and he could have injured a bystander.

The captured photo of a video posted on YouTube shows a teenager brandishing a knife at police officers nearby Amsa Station in Gangdong-gu, eastern Seoul, Sunday. / Yonhap

Nearly 40 petitions have been posted on Cheong Wa Dae's website that the attacker should be punished sternly and that police should be allowed to use firearms in similar cases.

However, others argued there was not much police could do in the situation and they did their best.

The police officers also said they used the taser according to the manual but one of the two electrode needles malfunctioned.

Korean National Police Agency Commissioner General Min Gap-ryong said the police officers followed procedures correctly.

“Two electrode needles have to hit accurately to incapacitate the target,” Min said during a press conference at the agency headquarters in central Seoul, Monday. “It cost too much to practice using a taser because one bullet is very expensive. We are currently developing our own taser at the moment.”