Loitering Around Women for Illegal Filming... Caught Red-Handed by Off-Duty Police Officer

3,000 Suspicious Photos Discovered on Suspect's Mobile Phone

A man in his twenties who illegally took thousands of photos while roaming around shopping malls for over three hours was apprehended by an off-duty police officer.

On September 13, Yonhap News reported that the Bundang Police Station in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, has booked a man in his twenties, referred to as A, without detention on suspicion of illegal filming under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes, and is currently investigating him.

Anti-Illegal Filming Prevention Wrapping Poster

At around 3:10 p.m. on September 7, Sergeant Kim Hakmin of the Mobile Patrol Unit at the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency was shopping with his wife at a household goods store in a commercial building in Bundang-gu, Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, while off duty. There, he witnessed something suspicious. A young man holding a mobile phone was loitering as if selecting items, but curiously, he only crouched near women, fiddling with products displayed on lower shelves. The man subtly turned the camera on his phone toward women's bodies and appeared nervous, frequently glancing around.

After closely observing the scene for about 15 minutes, Sergeant Kim became convinced that illegal filming was taking place. Having focused on preventing camera-related crimes during patrol activities from June to August, he immediately recognized the man's behavior as typical of an illegal filming suspect. Before attempting to apprehend the suspect, he quietly sent his wife outside the store, as there were many customers inside and the suspect could have tried to escape or cause a disturbance in the crowd.

Sergeant Kim then enlisted the help of a store employee. Taking advantage of a moment when the suspect was alone, they blocked his escape route together, and Kim presented his police ID. At first, the suspect resisted, asking, "Why should I be investigated?" However, when Sergeant Kim and the employee explained that they had witnessed the illegal act and that multiple CCTV cameras in the store had captured the incident, the suspect gave up and voluntarily accompanied them.

Sergeant Hakmin Kim of the Mobile Patrol Unit, Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency. Photo by Yonhap News

On suspect A's mobile phone, police found around 3,000 photos believed to be illegally taken images of women's bodies. More than 200 photos taken on the day of the incident were also discovered. It was determined that A had spent over three hours in the store that day, engaging in illegal filming.

The police are currently conducting digital forensics on A's mobile phone. However, there is no evidence so far that the images have been distributed. Sergeant Kim stated, "All members of the Mobile Patrol Unit worked hard throughout the summer to crack down on illegal filming, and that experience helped us apprehend the suspect. I am relieved that we prevented further harm and proud to have fulfilled my duty as a police officer."