Man Sniffs and Steals Shoes in Women-Only Goshiwon...Netizens Criticize "Creepy"

Shoe Smell 'Sniffed' in Women-Only Goshiwon... Shoe Thief Caught
Only 2 out of 10 Women Feel 'Safe'

A man intruding into a women-only goshiwon, smelling the shoes of women. Photo by Busan Police Agency official Facebook video capture.

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] A man who broke into a women-only goshiwon in Busan, smelled shoes, and stole them was caught by the police. It has caused an uproar as several pairs of women's shoes, including sneakers and flats, were found at the man's residence. Some have criticized the man for targeting a goshiwon where only women live.

The Busan Metropolitan Police Agency recently released CCTV footage from the entrance of the women-only goshiwon located in Nam-gu, Busan, on their official Facebook account.

In the video, a man appears at the women-only goshiwon during the early dawn hours when few people are around and starts rummaging through the shoe rack in the hallway. He takes out women's shoes from the rack, smells them, and then puts them back. He repeats this behavior several times in front of the shoe rack, lingers for a while, and eventually steals five pairs of shoes and runs away.

The police launched a full investigation after receiving 112 reports that shoes kept disappearing from the women-only goshiwon. They analyzed the CCTV footage to track the man's movements and identified his residence. Several pairs of women's shoes, including sneakers and flats, were reportedly found at the man's home.

Due to the possibility of evidence tampering, the police urgently arrested the man. He is currently under investigation without detention.

Photo by Busan Police Agency Official Facebook Video Capture.

In light of the situation, voices of criticism continue. Especially, some women have expressed anxiety over the fact that the man targeted a goshiwon where only women live to commit the crime.

One netizen said, "I don't know why there are so many strange people like this. Why would someone smell women's shoes and steal them?" and added, "The women living in that goshiwon must be so scared. If this happened to me, I think I would be so creeped out that I couldn't sleep at night."

Another netizen also said, "I was horrified after watching the video," and added, "This time, it was limited to smelling and stealing women's shoes, but he might commit a bigger crime later. He should receive appropriate punishment and sincerely reflect on his actions."

As a result, many women reportedly feel anxious about crime. According to the '2021 Statistics on Women's Lives' released by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family on the 5th, only 27.6% of women felt that society was generally safe.

In particular, regarding 'crime safety,' 21.6% of women and 32.1% of men responded that they felt safe, showing a gender gap of 10.5 percentage points. This means that 8 out of 10 women live with anxiety about crime.

In May, there was also public criticism after CCTV footage captured a man secretly entering a woman living alone's home and wandering around as if it were his own.

The man was a neighbor living on the 6th floor of the adjacent building, and it was investigated that he climbed the veranda railing at the 6th-floor height and crossed over to the neighboring building.

Meanwhile, Seoul City plans to expand the 'Women Living Alone Safety Support Project' from 11 autonomous districts last year to all 25 autonomous districts this year to alleviate the anxiety of women living alone and prevent crime.

This project provides safety devices to low-income women living alone in small rental units and women-owned single shops located in crime-vulnerable environments such as old one-room and multi-family housing dense areas.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.