Creators of 'angel box girl' performance in Seoul streets face trial for public indecency
A woman wearing a cardboard box is seen walking in a street in Seoul last October. Captured from X
Three individuals, including the representative of an adult content production company and a model, have been indicted for public indecency after creating what they called the "angel box," allowing passersby to fondle her breasts in Seoul’s busy streets.
According to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office on Monday, these individuals roamed busy areas of Seoul last October, including Apgujeong and Hongdae, wearing only a cardboard box and encouraging passersby to touch the model's s naked body through holes in the box.
They filmed this under the guise of a performance and posted the videos on platforms such as YouTube. Their attempt to film in Hongdae was halted by police intervention.
The model, known as "angel box girl" in online communities, defended the content, citing reasons such as "performance art" and "freedom of expression."
The model, known to work as an adult film actor and model, explained her reasons for the act in a media interview. She said, "I always found it strange that when a man goes shirtless, it’s not a big deal, but when a woman does, she gets punished. I wanted to challenge this through performance art."
She claimed that it is a matter of freedom of expression. "I don’t see it as public indecency. If the touching isn’t visible, how can it be considered public indecency?"
However, the prosecution did not accept the arguments. A prosecutor said, "We will ensure that the prosecution is thorough so that the punishment matches the crime."
The decision to prosecute followed deliberation and resolution by the Citizen Prosecution Committee. This committee was introduced to ensure the fairness and transparency of investigations and to protect human rights by directly reflecting the opinions of citizens in prosecutors’ decision-making processes.
The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office is seen in this file photo. Korea Times photo by Hong In-ki
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, a sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI and edited by staff of The Korea Times.