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A table of offerings for the Chuseok holiday to commemorate Baek Nam-ki, who died from injuries sustained from a police water cannon in 2016. The table was set by the Boseong Farmers’ Association in South Jeolla Province. (Kang Jae-hoon, staff photographer)
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NHIS submits indemnity request to state and police demanding payment
The battle over medical costs for Baek Nam-gi, a farmer who passed away after being struck by a police water cannon jet during a demonstration, appears to be headed for the courtroom. Last month, the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) submitted an indemnity request to the state and former and current police officers demanding payment of Baek’s medical costs. But the payment of the costs was not submitted by the initial deadline on Aug. 31. The move appeared to signal plans to await a court decision despite an announcement by a National Police Agency (NPA) human rights infringement investigation committee attributing Baek’s death to “excessive use of force” and evidence of the Blue House demanding medical procedures in an apparent bid to “buy time.” According to accounts from the NPA and other sources on Sept. 2, the government has decided to pursue legal action in response to the NHIS’s demand for indemnity rights. While the police submitted an opinion to the Ministry of Justice recommending the payment of medical costs without legal action, the ministry stated that it would be “appropriate to wait for a court decision and make the payment once [legal] grounds have been established.” The NHIS previously requested the payment of 263 million won (US$236,000) in costs for Baek’s medical expenses from the state and former NPA chief Kang Sin-myeong, among others. By Jung Su-kyung and Hwang Ye-rang, staff reporters
