South Korea has a serious problem with spy cameras and illicit filming.
In 2017, there were more than 6,400 cases of illegal filming reported to the police. This was about 4,000 more if compared to 2012. In 2018, tens of thousands of women in South Korea protested on the streets against the practice and demand action, under the slogan "My Life is Not Your Porn."
And just days after several K-pop stars made headlines for filming women without their knowledge, the police announced that videos of approximately 1,600 hotel guests were secretly live-streamed to the internet for a subscription website in South Korea.
The authorities have arrested two men in connection to the hidden cameras found in 42 hotel rooms in 30 budget hotels across 10 South Korean cities, according to the Cyber Investigation Department at the National Police Agency.
The cameras were carefully concealed in television boxes, hairdryer mounts and wall sockets in various properties.
The website offers services where paying members can benefit from extra features.
This include the ability to replay certain live-streams. And here, the site had more than 4,000 members, 97 of whom paid a $44.95 monthly fee to have this ability. With it, the site is reported to earn around $6,000 from its subscribers.
"There was a similar case in the past where illegal cameras were (secretly installed) and were consistently and secretly watched, but this is the first time the police caught where videos were broadcast live on the internet," the police said.
In response to this incident, the police assembled a special team that consists of only women to conduct regular inspections of the city's 20,000 or so public toilets. Their job is to search for spy cameras or other things that may compromise people's privacy.
Women in South Korea are becoming more and more aware of people wanting to peek into their private lives and activities.
With modern technology, cameras can be made increasingly smaller. And with the internet, most notably in South Korea which has one of the fastest connection in the world, explicit footage can be uploaded to be seen by people half way across the globe with relative ease.
These spy cameras can be anywhere.
From inside fitting rooms to smoke detectors, to even inside toilet bowls.
Victims that had their images/videos taken without their consent, can experience mental breakdown and psychological issues. These victims say that when they encounter people on the street, they feel like they would be recognized.
Back in January, the co-owner of a South Korean revenge porn website was sentenced to four years in prison and ordered to pay a fine of $1.26 million. Soranet, which has been shut down, was a popular site for uploading videos and photos taken using hidden cameras.
In South Korea, there have been more than 30,000 cases of "surreptitious filming" reported to the police since 2013.
