This paper explores the development and international transfer of tear gas dispersers between the United States and South Korea during the 1960s. It outlines how these devices, originally justified as humanitarian tools for war and riot control, increasingly facilitated large-scale and violent suppression. The focus is particularly on the development and effects of “Pepper Fog” during the U.S. civil rights movements and the Vietnam War, as well as its adoption by the South Korean police to be utilized against student demonstrations. The transnational movement of Pepper Fog reveals the process through which tear gas technology was developed and deployed in different parts of the world.
In 1968, the deployment of Pepper Fog in South Korea was facilitated by American commercial loans and police aid, becoming a critical tool against the democratic movements dominated by student protests during the 1960s and 70s. Despite its intended humane aspects, the actual use of such devices often resulted in injuries due to indiscriminate deployment in confined spaces like buses and buildings. The emergence of gas dispersing vehicles eventually replaced Pepper Fog at protest sites, but the term “Pepper Fog car” became a colloquial symbol of mass gas dispersal and the inherent violence in crowd control.