Professor resigns over indecent photos

Women walking along a street in Seoul in this file photo. A Korea University professor has been accused of taking indecent photos of female students, especially those wearing skimpy dresses, using a “hidden” camera. / Korea Times file

A Korea University professor resigned Friday after allegedly taking indecent photos of female students and other women with a hidden camera.

His resignation came following the university’s decision to hold a disciplinary committee to punish him for his behavior. The school immediately accepted his resignation, and canceled the convening of the committee.

The university said it will do its best to protect the victims by preventing their photos from being spread through the Internet. It also promised to make all-out efforts to prevent any such recurrence.

On May 18, the 51-year-old business professor was caught using a small camera hidden in his watch to take pictures under the skirt of a woman sitting behind him in a Seoul cinema.

The woman became suspicious of the fidgeting professor, who immediately left the theater after perceiving the woman’s discomfort.

She reported the incident to the police after finding his business card left on the seat. In June, the police referred the case to the prosecution for an indictment.

But his photo-taking spree did not stop. He is suspected of continuing to use a small hidden camera in the shape of a USB to take photos of his students’ bodies in a school laboratory, according to prosecutors.

Investigators said that the professor had also secretly taken pictures of women in restaurant restrooms. He kept approximately 3,000 photos on his computer.

Students of the university expressed their anger at the professor. They called on the school authorities to tighten the code of ethics for faculty members to prevent such a scandal from happening again.

They also demanded the law enforcement agencies get tougher with the professor for infringing on the privacy of his students and other women.