Hidden camera perverts explode in number
By Ko Dong-hwan
Hidden camera perverts are on the rise in Korea.
On July 9, the Gangwon Provincial Police Agency released statistics about numbers of reported sexual criminals using hidden cameras.
The data showed that the numbers have been consistently increasing, from 1,234 in 2010 to 1,523 in 2011 and 2,400 in 2012. By mid-2013, the number reached 1,569.
The criminals constantly honed their edges with tech-savvy video/photo recording devices, making them tinier to disguise them.
The most popular device among the “criminals” is a “mute camera app” available for smartphones.
The app, evident from its name, neither makes sound nor flashes when the user presses a shutter button, giving users complete “comfort” while tending their fornicating business.
Their wits took it up a notch as they now use a tiny camera that can be stashed inside objects like shoes with perforated pinholes, portable USB storages, ballpoint pens, glasses, buttons or credit cards.
The spectrum of the criminals is also wide.
While university students and job seekers in their 20s or 30s represent the most prevalent group, others also include university professors, lawyers, pastors and National Congress examiners.
The criminals mostly target women in their 20s or 30s with comparatively attractive outfits like mini-skirts, leggings or skinny jeans.
Kim Yong-jin, 31, a policeman who stakes out at the Gangnam Subway Station vicinity in search of roaming hidden camera perverts, said, “Although the police force engages in rooting out such crimes, it is also citizens’ duty to report the perverts once they are spotted at the scene.”