South Korean women gather in Seoul to protest the prevalence of hidden spy cameras in public places such as restrooms that film secret footage for the purpose of pornography. Photo Source.
If you use the restroom in South Korea, you might notice there’s tissue paper stuffed into the grooves of every screw in the bathroom stall, or small stickers covering holes and cracks in the door and walls. If there are any unfilled, you may want to cover them yourself. This is where tiny spy cameras, or “molkas,” are most often hidden in public bathrooms.
Toilet paper is commonly used to obstruct the view of potential cameras. Photo by Se Eun Gong.
South Korea is in the midst of what many have labeled a nonconsensual pornography epidemic.
Hidden camera crimes in the country rose from 1,100 in 2010 to 6,500 in 2017. Many women fear using public restrooms, common spaces like dressing rooms in retail stores, or even doctor’s offices due to the risk of being secretly filmed. Cameras are even placed frequently below streets and staircases to obtain “upskirt” footage in public places. Images and videos of women using restrooms and changing clothes are frequently obtained by these small cameras and uploaded to the internet as voyeur pornography, or occasionally, targeted revenge porn.
Many internet users have come to see spy camera pornography as more ‘natural’ than staged scenes, helping the genre grow in popularity. Footage is sold for profit on the internet in a booming underground industry that makes tens of millions of U.S. dollars, selling nonconsensually filmed pornography for as little as 100 won (8 U.S. cents) per video.
Demonstration against the use of molkas began with women who were fed up with frequently discovering hidden cameras in public spaces, but outrage truly sparked with a spy camera case at Hongik University, a prestigious Korean school for art and design.
A woman who secretly filmed and distributed images of a nude male model at the school was immediately tried and held accountable for the crime.
A vast majority of the perpetrators of spy camera crimes are male and they are very rarely held accountable or criminally charged, despite how pervasive the issue of secret filming has become. Yet when a woman was the perpetrator, she was swiftly prosecuted.
In South Korea, over 8 million publicly and privately operated cameras are under use. The Korean government does have laws against hidden cameras under sex-crime legislation, but activists say the laws are loosely defined and rarely enforced. From 2012 to 2017, only 2.6 percent (around 540) of 20,924 male suspects of spy camera crimes were placed under detention. Under the law, photos have to be “cause sexual stimulus or shame,” a clause that is easily up to interpretation in many cases where men are acquitted.
Some women have even been personally targeted and filmed inside their homes. One victim – who chose to remain nameless – attempted to press charges against a man caught red-handed filming her naked in her apartment from a roof across the street. Police refused to take action or allow her to press charges, a common occurrence for victims when footage or photos are not deemed invasive or shameful enough to justify the pursuit of legal action.
In response to the growing problem of secret footage and lack of legal accountability for perpetrators of hidden camera crimes, women have taken to the streets in mass protest. In October of last year, tens of thousands of Korean women demonstrated in the streets of their capital, Seoul, with signs and chants reading “My Life Is Not Your Porn.” This was the fifth demonstration against public spy cams.
Thousands demonstrate in Seoul, Korea in protest of secret spy cam pornography. Photo by Crystal Tai.
The movement against spy camera pornography, or nonconsensual porn, has become an integral part of the #MeToo movement in Korea, where women are fighting to have their privacy protected and for perpetrators of secret filming to be held accountable. Despite the size of the movement and high Western consumption of non-consensual porn from Asia, many are unaware of the movement.
“Simultaneously, I was surprised and not surprised,” said FSU freshman Jasmine Jacobs when asked how she felt when she learned about the movement in Korea. “I understand how America doesn’t really highlight issues in other countries, but it’s helpful to know that this is happening in other places. Especially in these times with movements like #MeToo going on in our popular culture, it’s good that the feminist movement is occurring in Korea too as we go through our own.”
Unlike in the U.S., where celebrities often speak out on social issues, #MeToo is an issue in Korea that is often discussed, but rarely in the spotlight. Celebrities in South Korea, especially K-Pop idols, are almost always apolitical and rarely make remarks about controversial or political issues. This is often a result of strict contracts from the entertainment companies who manage them.
“A lot of Korean celebrities, especially idols and actors, are managed by strict companies and rules on how they can talk and act,” said Eliza Baker, a political science major at FSU whose father is from Osaka, Japan. “Korea is a very conservative country and the general public frowns upon speaking out on personal issues and opinions.”
As the movement grows, it stands to gain more and more attention from around the world, but unfortunately, it’s still a movement many haven’t heard of. Regardless, the women leading the fight against spy cams seem determined to take action until change is seen. For now, the movement has shed a light on the issue and put pressure on the authorities to respond. The city government of Seoul, where the largest protest took place, announced last September that it will enforce daily inspections of public bathrooms to locate and remove secret spy cameras. Inspections were previously conducted on a monthly basis at best. While action has not been cemented in the law yet, last June President Moon Jae-in called for more “stern punishments” for perpetrators of spy camera crimes and “special protections for victims.”
Activists want more specific sex crime legislation that will hold male perpetrators accountable and an end to structural sexism in the justice system that convicts women at a higher rate than men. As for the everyday person, they urge not to watch footage that appears to be taken nonconsensually,ot to purchase it and when you see it, report it to the website that hosts it, or even the authorities if necessary.
“Seeing so many women gather together to speak up was a deeply empowering experience,” said Ellin, a protestor. “We have power. Together, we can make change happen.”
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