"What is that?" Click Click, It's a 'Drone Molka'

Secret Filming of Male and Female Sexual Activity in High-Rise Apartment Using Drone in Busan
Similar Incidents Also Occurred Earlier in Gwangju and Jeju
Suddenly Appearing, Secretly Filming, and Disappearing
'Drone Molka' Punishable by Up to 5 Years Imprisonment or a Fine of Up to 10 Million Won Under Sexual Violence Law

A warning posted by an internet user on an online community saying, "Beware of drone hidden camera offenders." Photo by Community Capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] As a case of secretly filming a man and woman having sex by flying a drone at midnight and approaching a high-rise apartment in Busan has come to light, awareness of so-called illegal filming using drones (hidden camera crimes, hereinafter referred to as molka) is increasing. This is the same as 'molka crimes' that secretly film another person's body using a mobile phone. As hidden cameras become increasingly sophisticated and covert, and drone molka is added, citizens' anxiety is growing.

The Busan Southern Police Station announced on the 7th that they arrested a man in his 40s, Mr. A, on charges of violating the Special Act on Sexual Violence Punishment (filming using a camera, etc.) for secretly filming a man and woman having sex with a drone, and released Mr. B, who was with him, without detention.

According to the police, Mr. A is suspected of secretly filming a man and woman having sex with a camera attached to a drone at a high-rise apartment in Suyeong-gu, Busan, between midnight and 3 a.m. on the 19th of last month.

This is not the first 'drone molka' crime. In June 2017, a woman living in Jung-gu, Daejeon, wrote a warning note saying, "I heard a buzzing sound like bees flying outside the window of the officetel where I live, and when I looked, someone was pressing a drone against our window to take molka," and when someone posted this on Twitter, the police launched an investigation.

Drone. The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article.

Citizens are expressing anxiety. In the case of molka criminals using mobile phones, on-site arrest is possible, but in the case of drone molka, even if the damage is confirmed on-site, it is difficult to know when and where the drone flew from, raising concerns that arrest will be difficult.

Mr. Lee, a college student in his 20s, said, "In the case of drones, you can't properly find the person controlling it," and added, "In the end, to avoid drone molka, you have to live your life by drawing curtains, etc., but I don't understand why the victim has to suffer."

Another office worker in his 30s, Mr. Kim, emphasized, "If the molka criminal decides to disappear, it will be difficult to find them. I think the only answer is tracking through closed-circuit television (CCTV), but I hope some system or device is put in place to quickly catch 'drone molka criminals.'"

Amid ongoing public anxiety, there have been suspected cases of illegal filming using drones in Jeju in the past. According to the Jeju Provincial Police Agency in August 2017, 14 drone-related reports (9 related to filming, 3 related to flight, and 2 drone crashes) were received during the summer season alone.

The reports included complaints such as "A drone is flying over a pool villa, and it seems to be filming," and "A drone with a camera is flying over the changing room at the beach," related to molka.

In fact, at Gwakjigwamul Beach in Aewol-eup, Jeju City, there was an incident where a drone was flown in the sky to film women washing their bodies in an outdoor bath. The police arrested a man in his 30s on charges of violating the Special Act on Prevention of Sexual Violence for secretly filming women's bodies in the outdoor bath at the beach.

Meanwhile, such drone molka crimes can be punished under the Sexual Violence Act with imprisonment of up to 5 years or a fine of up to 10 million won. In addition, a fine of up to 2 million won can be imposed for violating pilot compliance under the Aviation Act, etc.