By Lee Kyung-min
Police said Sunday they have apprehended 983 individuals for offenses related to using hidden cameras between July 1 and Aug. 20.
According to the National Police Agency, the offenders filmed body parts of women, saved such images in their computers and shared them online.
Under the law, taking or distributing photos using a hidden camera is a crime subject to up to a five-year prison term or a fine of up to 10 million won ($8,870). Those who use such photos for commercial purposes face harsher punishment _ up to a seven-year prison term or a fine of up to 30 million won.
The police searched homes and offices of offenders to confiscate their mobile phones, computer hard drives and other digital devices. They are using digital forensic methods to recover materials the offenders attempted to erase.
Most of the victims, police said, were unaware they were targets of voyeurism, a sex crime that has been increasing in recent years.
The high number confirms a growing trend in sex crimes involving secret cameras.
According to data from the agency, of all sex crimes, only 517 cases involved such filming in 2006, accounting for only 3.6 percent of the total. However, the number increased to 7,730 or 24.9 percent in 2015.
Police said women should be aware of men who frequently put their hands on their glasses, hats, wrist watches, pens, neckties, or small screws attached to any accessories while watching them, as they could be adjusting a hidden camera.
The fear of being photographed or filmed by hidden cameras has been growing. In 2015, video footage showing the naked bodies of more than 100 women at a water park shower room went viral.
A growing number of complaints have been filed with police over the posting of photos or footage of sexual intercourse, widely known as “revenge porn,” posted mostly by scorned men following a bad breakup.
Meanwhile, Sunday’s figure came less than a month after police began an intensive crackdown against sex crimes.
About 1,270 police officers were dispatched to 62 beaches and 28 mountain valleys nationwide last month, to better deal with the sharp increase of such crimes during summer. Almost a third of sex crimes committed annually occur between July and September, police said.