Sexual Harassment Anywhere... On Subways and Streets

Police Arrests Man in His 30s for Inserting Contraceptive Device Containing Bodily Fluids
Committed Crimes for 7 Months While Traveling Through Metropolitan Subway Stations

Also a Man in His 60s Who Sexually Harassed at a Crosswalk

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] Individuals who committed sexual crimes against women regardless of time and place have been consecutively caught by the police. A man who carried out criminal acts for seven months at a subway station was also finally apprehended by the police.

According to the police on the 15th, the Gangdong Police Station in Seoul arrested a man in his 30s, Mr. A, who secretly placed contraceptive devices containing his bodily fluids into the bags or pockets of unspecified women at metropolitan subway stations, and sent him to the prosecution.

Mr. A, who is suspected of property damage and violating the Special Act on the Punishment of Sexual Violence Crimes (indecent acts in crowded public places), committed these crimes at subway stations located in Seoul and Hanam City, Gyeonggi Province, for about seven months starting around November last year.

During the crime period, several victim reports were received by the police. It was identified that a total of 10 reports were filed: 3 at Gangdong Police Station, 2 at Jungbu Police Station in Seoul, and 2 at Hanam Police Station in Gyeonggi. The National Forensic Service's analysis of the bodily fluid components confirmed that the perpetrator was the same individual. As reports continued, the police began tracking through closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage and eventually arrested Mr. A on the 15th of last month in Jung-gu, Seoul. He reportedly stated that he committed the crimes to relieve stress from his company life.

A man who sexually harassed a woman at a crosswalk was also caught by the police and handed over to the prosecution. Mr. B, a man in his 60s accused of forcible molestation, allegedly approached a woman in her 20s who was waiting for the signal near Guro Digital Complex Station in Gwanak-gu, Seoul, around 9 p.m. on June 15, made physical contact, and then fled.

Mr. B denied the charges during police investigation, claiming he was drunk and did not remember the incident. However, after analyzing CCTV footage, the police judged it to be intentional forcible molestation and sent him to the prosecution.

A man in his 40s who sexually harassed a woman on the street just half a day after being released from prison was also arrested by the police. Mr. C forcibly molested a woman walking near a bus terminal in Gyeongbuk on February 19 by following and hugging her. He reportedly stated that he committed the crime because he had nowhere to go after his release.