Comments on: Police Officer Ordered to Use Excessive Force Jailed as Conscientious Objector http://ecolocalizer.com/2009/05/03/korean-policeman-jailed-for-refusing-to-use-excessive-force/ News & commentary on sustainability, activism, urban planning, politics, and our world. Sun, 12 Feb 2012 17:54:11 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: sm hudson http://ecolocalizer.com/2009/05/03/korean-policeman-jailed-for-refusing-to-use-excessive-force/comment-page-1/#comment-54806 sm hudson Mon, 04 May 2009 19:09:27 +0000 http://ecoworldly.com/?p=2897#comment-54806 This is a heartrending story. I can only imagine the worry this young man faced as he returned to the police office in order to clear his position as a conscientious objector to the crowd control directions he was given during the demonstrations. I am sorry he was not better directed through legal counsel to register his concerns within whatever administrative channels which may have been available to him before he delayed his return after his visit home. His parents would certainly have been justifiably worried about the repercussions of going directly to the press with his feelings which, at the time, may have increased tensions and perhaps caused harmful civil violence on the streets, while most likely causing their son far greater negative consequences. I don't know what procedures there may have been available within the police force or other administrative authority in the South Korean service system. The bulk of his problems seem to have stemmed from his not returning to his position after his visit home. I am assuming that his sentence was based, for the most part, on dissertion of his national service obligation. National Service and all of its "opportunities" and possible abuses is a very complicated question and one that faces parents and their children in a number of countries. I do hope that for whatever time this young man is detained that his treatment is compassionate. I will follow whatever of the above links are available to a non-Korean citizen living outside the country in order to voice my feelings on the situation. Upon reflecting on the situation which led to this unfortunate chain of events, I am reminded how much responsibility the national and international press should feel in fully informing the public on issues of concern to their health and safety without creating and allowing themselves to get caught up in the frenzy created by sensationalistic reporting practices. I just listened to a public radio article yesterday which described an American reporter going onto the street wearing a medical mask to report on the H1N1 influenza virus currently in the news. There were no other people wearing a mask or seeming concerned in the area. However, he did encounter another reporter visiting from England who was looking for a worried citizen to interview. The visiting British reporter then proceeded to interview the American reporter, and filed his article on how frightened the American public is over the spread of this "deadly virus". As in the tainted beef issue, it is not that the subject of safety and correct necessary procedures should not be brought to the attention of the public and to public regulatory bodies. It is the creation of an atmosphere of panic coupled with people reacting without fully informing themselves that can do so much more harm than good. The story of this young man is just one example of the sad consequences of such behaviour. This is a heartrending story. I can only imagine the worry this young man faced as he returned to the police office in order to clear his position as a conscientious objector to the crowd control directions he was given during the demonstrations.
I am sorry he was not better directed through legal counsel to register his concerns within whatever administrative channels which may have been available to him before he delayed his return after his visit home. His parents would certainly have been justifiably worried about the repercussions of going directly to the press with his feelings which, at the time, may have increased tensions and perhaps caused harmful civil violence on the streets, while most likely causing their son far greater negative consequences. I don’t know what procedures there may have been available within the police force or other administrative authority in the South Korean service system. The bulk of his problems seem to have stemmed from his not returning to his position after his visit home. I am assuming that his sentence was based, for the most part, on dissertion of his national service obligation. National Service and all of its “opportunities” and possible abuses is a very complicated question and one that faces parents and their children in a number of countries. I do hope that for whatever time this young man is detained that his treatment is compassionate. I will follow whatever of the above links are available to a non-Korean citizen living outside the country in order to voice my feelings on the situation.

Upon reflecting on the situation which led to this unfortunate chain of events, I am reminded how much responsibility the national and international press should feel in fully informing the public on issues of concern to their health and safety without creating and allowing themselves to get caught up in the frenzy created by sensationalistic reporting practices. I just listened to a public radio article yesterday which described an American reporter going onto the street wearing a medical mask to report on the H1N1 influenza virus currently in the news. There were no other people wearing a mask or seeming concerned in the area. However, he did encounter another reporter visiting from England who was looking for a worried citizen to interview. The visiting British reporter then proceeded to interview the American reporter, and filed his article on how frightened the American public is over the spread of this “deadly virus”. As in the tainted beef issue, it is not that the subject of safety and correct necessary procedures should not be brought to the attention of the public and to public regulatory bodies. It is the creation of an atmosphere of panic coupled with people reacting without fully informing themselves that can do so much more harm than good. The story of this young man is just one example of the sad consequences of such behaviour.

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