Employer investigated over spycam in factory shower room

By Lee Hyo-jin

Police are investigating the owner of a factory in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, for allegedly illegally filming a female worker of foreign nationality there, but a suspicious fire in the facility has destroyed much of the evidence.

The man, whose identity was withheld, has been accused of filming the victim when she was taking a shower, through a two-way mirror he had installed earlier in the women's shower room at the worksite, according to Pocheon Police, Wednesday.

The female worker from the Philippines filed a police report, Monday, after she noticed a suspicious flash in the mirror.

Through an initial investigation, the police found the mirror to be two-way, appearing reflective on one side and transparent on the other, allowing a person from one side to see the other but not vice-versa.

The police suspect that the factory owner filmed the victim with his phone while she was taking a shower.

But a fire broke out at the factory at around 3:40 a.m., Tuesday, some 14 hours after police began their investigation. It was extinguished after about five hours, but two buildings of the factory, including the shower room, were burnt down, destroying much of the evidence.

Police are conducting a forensic investigation of the man's phone and an additional investigation on the scene to find the exact cause of the fire.

The factory owner claimed that the fire may have been arson committed by one of his employees. “It could have been revenge against me by colleagues of the woman,” he told local broadcaster SBS.

Kim Dal-sung, the head of the migrant worker support center in Pocheon, said that the authorities should investigate both the fire and spycam crime thoroughly.

“The factory owner seems to be blaming the workers for arson to cover up the illegal spycam case. Police should investigate immediately to see if there are any additional charges against him,” he said.