"Oh? Isn't That a Corpse?" How Far Will the 'Haunted House BJ' Deviate? [Seunggon Han's Case Notebook]

Some BJs Broadcast from Haunted or Abandoned Houses... Potential Violation of Trespassing Laws
Other YouTubers Rush to Broadcast After Reports of a Corpse
Civilians Criticize, "Too Sensational, Uncomfortable to Watch"

A scene from the movie 'Gonjiam'. It depicts internet broadcast hosts flocking to an abandoned tuberculosis hospital to film and the experiences they go through. Photo by Gonjiam still cut

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] "Did a corpse appear again on a haunted house broadcast?", "Aren't they just doing overly sensational broadcasts for profit...?"

Internet broadcasters (BJs, Broadcasting Jockeys) who enter abandoned houses where no one lives to conduct so-called 'haunted house experiences' or broadcast from deserted houses and end up discovering corpses are causing public disapproval. There is criticism that these broadcasts are done in abandoned houses solely for sensational content. Some even deliberately revisit deserted houses where corpses have been found to continue broadcasting.

However, most of these broadcasts have a high risk of violating current laws, leading to growing public opinion that so-called 'haunted house broadcasts' and 'deserted house broadcasts' should be refrained from. Some citizens express angry criticism, questioning whether these broadcasters are continuously filming sensational scenes just for profit.

Last month, a YouTuber discovered a corpse while filming a video in an empty house. Following this, other YouTubers began filming deserted houses in the same area one after another, sparking social controversy. Instead of visiting the deserted houses to pay respects to the deceased, they are focusing solely on horror scenes to continue sensational broadcasts.

Recently, in an internet broadcast, a man illegally entered a warehouse of a building where a 'police line' had been set up to block civilian access.

This place was the empty warehouse where a 'deserted house experience YouTuber' found a corpse last month, and another YouTuber entered a month later to film an 'OO deserted house experience' video.

In the video, the man attempts to communicate with the deceased at the location where the corpse was found, pours alcohol, and smokes cigarettes for his broadcast, continuing various actions. This YouTuber has over 30,000 subscribers for horror experience content, and the video was viewed by more than 4,000 people.

In the movie 'Gonjiam,' an actor is filming the interior of an abandoned hospital using broadcasting equipment.

The public reaction is critical. Kim, a company employee in his 30s, said, "The problem is not just doing simple horror broadcasts, but doing broadcasts in other people's houses or buildings," adding, "I cannot understand how they broadcast, make profits, and even get more attention when a corpse appears."

Another company employee in his 20s, Park, said, "If they keep making sensational broadcasts to earn money, they will eventually do even more sensational and absurd broadcasts," and criticized, "It seems they only broadcast for money. It's pathetic."

This is not the first case of discovering a corpse in a deserted house. According to the Gwangju Seobu Police Station in February 2019, Park (30), a one-person media broadcaster conducting internet personal broadcasts, found the corpse of a man in his 60s at a nursing hospital in Seo-gu, Gwangju.

Park secretly entered the abandoned nursing hospital, shone a flashlight inside, and found a man in his 60s wearing underwear collapsed in a patient room on the second floor.

Moreover, in 2014, a BJ reportedly found a chair and newspapers stained with a large amount of blood during a haunted house experience and reported it to the police, causing shock. Also, in 2017, a corpse was found near the parking lot of OO Beach in Busan during an internet live broadcast.

Abandoned house. The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Looking at the broadcasts of those called 'deserted house BJs' or 'haunted house BJs,' they recklessly take items from abandoned buildings claiming they will bring haunted objects, or accompany shamans while claiming mirrors or furniture in haunted houses are possessed, engaging in mysterious conversations.

However, all of these actions have a high risk of violating current laws. Touching or taking items from deserted houses constitutes theft. Since most of these incidents occur at night, they can be punished more severely under the law (Criminal Act Article 331 Special Theft: Anyone who breaks part of a door, barrier, or other structure at night and unlawfully enters a place to steal another's property shall be punished by imprisonment for not less than one year and not more than ten years).

Carrying weapons or stealing property jointly with two or more people also results in similar punishments. In addition to criminal penalties, if the building manager becomes aware of the facts, civil liability may also be incurred.

A local police official emphasized strict compliance with the law regarding the de facto deviant acts related to haunted house BJs. The police official stated, "Buildings called deserted or haunted houses have managers and owners. If there is no one managing the building during the broadcast or it appears neglected, broadcasting there can lead to charges such as trespassing, refusal to leave, obstruction of business, and building intrusion. Especially violations occurring at night are punished more strictly."