20s Male Commits Indecent Act Toward Female Student on Express Bus... "I Will Be More Careful From Now On"

Female Student Caught Engaging in Indecent Acts Filmed on Mobile Phone
Suspect A Confesses Entire Crime After Arrest

A man in his 20s was arrested by the police for secretly staring at a teenage female student and committing an obscene act on a moving express bus.

According to the police on the 20th, passenger A (28), who was on an intercity express bus traveling from Cheonan to Wonju on the 18th, was arrested on the same day on charges of public obscenity.

At around 2:05 PM that day, the 112 emergency number received a text report stating, "This is an intercity bus departing from Cheonan heading to Wonju. A passenger sitting behind me on the opposite side seems to be staring at me and committing an obscene act."

If a person exposes themselves or engages in obscene acts in public places, causing discomfort to unspecified many, they may be punished under Article 245 of the Criminal Act for public obscenity with imprisonment of up to one year or a fine of up to 5 million won.
[Photo by Kim Dahee, Asia Economy]

The police who received the report continuously exchanged text messages with the victim female student and tracked the bus location.

About 8 minutes later, at around 2:12 PM, when the express bus stopped at a temporary bus stop in Munmak, Wonju, A was arrested through a police inspection. At that time, A was reportedly sitting in the back seat of the express bus. The victim female student captured A committing an obscene act, such as removing his pants, on her mobile phone. She then handed over the video as evidence to the police.

During the police investigation, A reportedly confessed to the entire crime. A stated to the police, "I am sorry. I will be careful from now on."

The police are currently investigating the specific circumstances of the incident involving A.

Public Obscenity Can Lead to Other Forms of Crime

If a person exposes themselves or commits obscene acts in public places, causing discomfort to unspecified many, they can be punished under Article 245 of the Criminal Act for public obscenity with imprisonment of up to one year or a fine of up to 5 million won.

Obscene acts in public places occur very frequently but still have not been eradicated. Around April 2021, a man B was also tried on charges of committing an obscene act while sitting near the rear door of a city bus operating in the Dangjin area, staring at a female middle school student sitting in the adjacent row.

B was reported to the police and sent to the prosecution. The Daejeon District Court sentenced B, who was charged with public obscenity, to six months in prison with a two-year probation. Additionally, B was ordered to undergo probation, complete 40 hours of sexual violence treatment lectures, and was restricted from employment for three years at child and youth-related institutions or welfare facilities for the disabled.

At that time, there was criticism regarding the lenient punishment. Regarding this, Lim Jeong-gyu, team leader of the Women and Family Division of Dangjin City, said, "People do not take acts of public obscenity or watching obscene videos in public places seriously, and the legal punishment standards for these acts are weak," emphasizing, "If strong law enforcement is not carried out, public obscenity will continue to occur."

He added, "Public obscenity should not be seen merely as an act arising from the urge to release desires. The location can change anywhere, and it can lead to other forms of crime," pointing out, "In the worst case, it can escalate into sexual violence. Although it is impossible to change public awareness all at once, policies need to be created and law enforcement must be strict."

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