Koreans take to the streets over spycam porn

TENS of thousands of South Korean women yesterday protested against secretly filmed spycam pornography.

A 70,000-strong group took to the streets of Seoul as part of a monthly demonstration started in May.

The movement has shattered records to become the biggest-ever women’s protest in South Korea, where the global “MeToo” movement has unleashed an unprecedented wave of female-led activism.

The target of their fury is spycam videos which involve men secretly filming women in schools, offices, trains, lavatories and changing rooms.

“Entering a public bathroom is such an unnerving experience these days,” Claire Lee said, adding that she always looked around the walls to see if there were any “suspicious holes”. The 21-year-old protester said she sometimes stabbed the holes with a pen to shatter any secret lenses.

The number of spycam crimes reported to police has surged to more than 6,500 last year. Offenders have included schoolteachers, professors, doctors, pastors, government officials, police officers and even a court judge.

“The pent-up anger among women has finally reached a boiling point”, one of the protest organisers said.

Although all smartphone manufacturers sold in South Korea are required to ensure their devices make a loud shutter noise when taking photos – a move designed to curb covert filming – many offenders use special apps that mute the sound, or turn to hi-tech spy cameras hidden inside eye glasses, lighters, watches, and even neckties.