Suspect in nude photo case commits suicide

Police search Bukhan River in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, for a studio owner who apparently committed suicide there, Monday. He was under investigation for allegedly forcing young women to take scantily clothed photos. Yonhap

By Jung Da-min

A photography studio owner who had been investigated for taking scantily clothed photos of women drowned himself in Bukhan River, Monday. He left a suicide note.

According to the Namyangju Police Station in Gyeonggi Province, a passerby contacted the police to report a man getting out of a car on Misa Bridge to jump into the river. The car was found to belong to the studio chief who was in his 40s.

YouTuber Yang Ye-won posted a video in May on her YouTube channel Beagle Couple, tearfully revealing her experience of being forced to undress in front of strangers at a studio located near Hapjeong Station in Seoul.

Some of the photos appeared on the internet. Other young women including 18-year-old model Yoo Ye-lim claimed they were victims as well after Yang's video went viral.

The suspect claimed that no coercion was involved.