SMG to help detect hidden cameras at private venues
By Lee Kyung-min
The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Sunday that it would help owners of private venues locate hidden cameras installed without their knowledge as part of efforts to tackle growing fears that women are being secretly filmed in their private moments, mostly involving sexual activities or getting undressed.
Owners of shopping malls, universities and concert halls who wish to have their venues checked can submit their requests via email to
. The city government cannot conduct an on-site inspection without the consent of the venue owners.
A team of “hidden camera officials” with radio-frequency and infrared detectors will be dispatched to search for the cameras and help remove them. They will use the infrared scanner to confirm the installation of cameras following a strong signal from a radio-frequency detector. If cameras are found, police officers will be called in to start investigating. Officials will visit about 1,000 hotels in the city to encourage them to rent the city-owned detection equipment to voluntarily conduct the procedure.
The measure is part of an ongoing city-wide campaign that began in August 2016. In order to remove all hidden cameras in public venues, the city hired about 50 women who patrol restrooms in public parks, subways, schools and other facilities on a regular basis. The campaign also comes amid an increasing number of hidden camera-related offenses _ filming of body parts of women, then saving such images on computers and sharing them online _ over the past few years.
According to data from the National Police Agency, the number of crimes involving hidden cameras increased to 5,158 in 2016, more than double that of the 2,400 in 2012. Under the law, those who take or distribute photos using a hidden camera are 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 fear of being photographed or filmed by a hidden camera has been growing since 2015, when video footage showing the naked bodies of more than 100 women in a water park shower room went viral.