Adult Riding Jet Ski Aims 'Water Cannon' at Child... Suffers Severe Head Injury, Undergoes Surgery

Child Hit by Water Cannon in Video Flies Backward
Expert: "Laws Needed for Managing and Regulating Water Leisure Equipment"

A person riding a jet ski on the Han River sprayed a water cannon at a child, causing an accident.

On the 11th, a post titled "Finally, this disaster has happened" was published on an online cafe where jet ski enthusiasts gather. The author, Mr. A, stated that he wrote the post to raise public awareness after receiving a report.

Mr. A began, "Last weekend in Yeouido, a jet ski sprayed water at a young child, causing an accident. The child suffered a severe head injury and is scheduled for surgery. The child's parents are preparing to file a criminal complaint."

In the video released by Mr. A, two children who appear to be about 2 to 3 years old are holding hands and standing by the Han River railing. A jet ski user is seen noticing the children standing there just before departure. As the jet ski user sprays water and takes off, the child in the video is hit by the water cannon and is thrown backward. [Video source=Naver Cafe 'Jet Ski Owners Club']

In the video released by Mr. A, two children who appear to be about 2 to 3 years old are holding hands and standing by the Han River railing. The jet ski user is seen noticing the children standing there just before starting. As the jet ski user sprays water and takes off, the child in the video is hit by the water cannon and is thrown backward.

The guardian of the children filming the video is heard saying, "Go over there where the older brother and sister are," and after witnessing the accident, immediately turns off the camera and runs toward the scene.

Mr. A pointed out, "Since the beginning of this year, there have been frequent incidents where innocent citizens using the Han River are sprayed with water by jet skis, causing harm. Banners have been posted everywhere, and news articles have been published. But now, this disaster has finally occurred. This is not someone's first time riding a jet ski; they must have experienced spraying and being sprayed before, so they should have known how powerful the water cannon is at that distance."

An accident occurred when a person riding a jetski on the Han River sprayed a water cannon at a child.
[Photo by Naver Cafe 'Jetski Owners Club']

He also added, "The distance wasn't even far, and they must have witnessed the accident. Did the person responsible and their group properly handle the situation? The video was posted in a large open KakaoTalk chat room for the Han River jet ski community, which the person responsible and their group belong to, but the room admin silently deleted the video. They said they were close to the person in the video?are they covering for them? If you acted, shouldn't you take responsibility and handle the aftermath? Why are you trying to just let this go?"

Netizens who watched the video reacted with comments such as, "It seems like they aimed to prank after confirming people were there," "They don't know what could happen if they shoot at a child," and "It looks like a misjudgment of distance."

Meanwhile, criticism of jet ski users spraying water cannons at citizens has been ongoing. Last month, near the Jamsu Bridge at Banpo Hangang Park in Seoul, a group riding jet skis threatened citizens by spraying water while driving recklessly, sparking widespread complaints. Especially that day, a food festival was taking place, so there were more people than usual, creating a crowded scene.

According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government Hangang Project Headquarters, there is no specific legal provision to regulate water leisure equipment such as jet skis. Therefore, the only enforcement is occasional crackdowns by the Coast Guard. However, if the jet ski's license plate is unknown, the offender cannot be apprehended, and jet ski riders are quick to escape when the Coast Guard approaches, causing ongoing problems.

Experts have pointed out that laws need to be established to systematically manage and regulate users of water leisure equipment.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.