South Korea suffers heavily from unlawful filming and spy cameras that have skyrocketed from 1300 a year to over 6000 incidents. From women being recorded in their homes, random upskirt photos taken on the streets, to some being caught on spy cameras hidden in toilets and changing rooms.
According to a police report, about 1,600 people have been secretly filmed in motel rooms in South Korea, with the footage uploaded and live-streamed online for paying customers to watch. The villains fetch about USD4000 in a short spun of time.
Two men have been nabbed and another pair investigated in connection with unlawful filming and spy cameras, which involved 42 accommodation rooms in different hotels across the country. Cyber Investigation Department at the National Police Agency said the cameras were hidden inside digital TV boxes, wall sockets and hairdryer holders and the footage was live streamed online on a site that had more than 4,000 members, 97 of whom paid a $44.95 monthly fee to access extra features, such as the ability to replay certain live streams.
“There was a similar case in the past where illegal cameras were (secretly installed) and were consistently and secretly watched, but this is the first time the police caught where videos were broadcast live on the internet,” police said.
Last year, victims who have suffered emotional distress from the incident, with some contemplating suicide, fueled a protest against the malicious practices that demanded actions against the criminals. Under the slogan “My life is not your porn” thousands of women marched in the streets of Seoul, the capital of South Korea, to express their concerns.
The city officials responded with a special squad of women inspectors who have been conducting regular inspections of the city’s public toilets. The government also promised to provide $4.5 million in funds to local authorities to increase patrols of toilets and changing rooms to search for spy camera.