It has been an excruciatingly hot summer in South Korea, but those heading to the beach or the swimming pool to relax may find themselves burned by something else - hidden spy cameras that film them in a state of undress.
In response to a growing outcry, teams organised by the police have sprung into action. Armed with infrared scanners that can spot a lens and devices that detect electrical charges, they spend hours hunting for cameras installed by "peeping Toms" in changing rooms and public bathrooms.
"We have to go out more often these days," said Lee Su-hyun, a police officer from Changwon in the coastal province of South Gyeongsang.
South Korea is in the midst of a battle against sexual harassment. Over the past year, the country's #MeToo movement has taken down multiple high-profile men accused of harassment and assault, including Ahn Hee-jung, a rising star in the ruling democratic party.
Although concerns about spy cameras and illicit filming are far from new in South Korea, the problem appears to be growing. The number of suspected perpetrators identified by the police rose from 1,354 in 2011 to 5,363 in 2017, and more than 95 per cent were men.
Police say that the wider availability of smartphones, as well as the rise of social media, contributed to this increase. Indeed, despite the focus on hidden cameras, 90 per cent of the crimes involved filming with regular smartphones, statistics show.
This summer, the backlash began. Tens of thousands of women took part in multiple street protests in Seoul, holding up signs that said "my life is not your porn" and demanding punishment for men who film videos as well as those who watch them.
Police identified more than 26,000 victims of illicit filming between 2012 and 2016 of whom more than 80 per cent were female. But many never find out they are victims. The real number "would be 10 times higher than the police figure" if the full extent were known, said Oh Yoon-sung, a criminology professor at Soonchunhyang University.
The controversy even reached North Korea. "What is wrong with South Korean men?" one North Korean official asked visiting journalists this month, according to local media.
There are signs of concern at the top. In May, South Korean President Moon Jae-in lamented that spy cams had become a "a part of daily life" and called for tougher punishments for those caught.
Some women have taken action into their own hands. A small group uploaded videos apparently filmed in men's changing rooms – a revenge that upended the gender dynamics of a largely male-perpetrated crime.
But much of the battle falls on authorities. Police officials say that over the past year they have undertaken a variety of new initiatives, from scouring the web to find illicitly recorded videos to keeping better tabs on sales of camera hardware. But inspections of public areas may be the most high-profile of the measures on offer – whether cameras are found or not.
The full story is within the link, but seriously, what the fuck is fundamentally wrong with people that they have to go out of their way to even consider doing this shit to other unsuspecting folks?
Fucking disgusting...
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/...-sexual-harassment-ahn-hee-jung-a8470771.html
