Male Middle School Student Who Filmed Teenage Girl in Bathroom Says "I Threw Away My Phone"

Victim's Side "What About Our Child's Footage... Urges Severe Punishment for Perpetrator"
Police "Conducting Digital Forensic Investigation... Will Reveal Charges"

Illegal Filming in Public Restrooms (PG)
[Image Source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-ju] A male middle school student was caught by the police for secretly filming a teenage girl of the same age with a cellphone in the girls' restroom, but he claims that he has already disposed of the cellphone used as the tool for the crime.

Since the student is a criminal minor under the age of 14 (a juvenile exempt from criminal punishment), it is uncertain whether this will lead to punishment.

The Bundang Police Station in Gyeonggi Province announced on the 3rd that they have booked and are investigating A (13) without detention on charges of violating the Special Act on the Punishment of Sexual Crimes (filming using a camera, etc., and intrusion into a multi-use place for sexual purposes).

A is suspected of entering the girls' restroom on the second floor of a building in Bundang-gu, Seongnam City, around 8 p.m. on November 4th and secretly filming B, who was using the restroom, with a cellphone camera.

According to the police investigation, when B made a noise after noticing the camera through the gap in the door, A immediately fled to an academy building on the same floor.

The police identified A's identity on November 6th, two days after the incident, through CCTV footage at the scene.

A denies the charges, saying, "It is true that I entered the girls' restroom out of curiosity, but I did not film."

He also claims that the cellphone was broken and discarded by his father.

On the 23rd of last month, the police applied for a search warrant from the prosecution and seized storage devices such as a laptop and USB from A's house that morning, and are conducting digital forensic work.

The cellphone presumed to have been used in the crime has disappeared and its whereabouts are unknown.

This information became known as the victim's side posted related posts on the Blue House National Petition and online communities.

The victim's side appealed, saying, "Our daughter was harmed, but even though the perpetrator was identified, the investigation has not progressed, and a month has passed," and "Please confirm that no filming materials of our child remain or were transmitted, and ensure that the perpetrator receives appropriate punishment."

In response, a police official said, "Since executing a search warrant on a juvenile exempt from criminal punishment is not easy in the investigation process, it took some time, but forensic analysis of the seized storage devices is currently underway, and the investigation process is progressing," adding, "We will clearly identify the related charges and ensure appropriate punishment is carried out."