Hidden Cameras Found Again in Hotel Rooms and Bathrooms

Illegal Filming Targeting Tenants at a Hotel in Jeonnam
Police "Checking Whether Videos Have Been Distributed" ... Repeated Crackdowns on Lodging Businesses

[Image source=Pixabay]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] A hotel owner who installed hidden cameras in his hotel and illegally filmed guests has been arrested by the police.

Recently, the Jeonnam Provincial Police Agency's Women and Juvenile Crime Investigation Unit announced that they have urgently detained and are investigating a man in his 50s, Mr. A, on charges of violating the Special Act on the Punishment of Sexual Crimes, specifically for filming using a camera.

Mr. A is suspected of installing small cameras in a hotel he operates in Jeonnam, where his business is located, to secretly film other people's bodies. The illegal filming is believed to have taken place in various hotel facilities, including guest rooms and public restrooms. The crime was uncovered when victim Mr. B, who runs another business in the same building, accidentally discovered it.

The police are investigating the circumstances under which the discovered videos were made and whether the illegal footage has been distributed. They plan to decide on Mr. A's legal status considering the seriousness of the case and the possibility of evidence tampering.

There have been several previous cases of illegal filming being uncovered in lodging establishments. According to YTN last November, a motel owner was arrested on suspicion of installing hidden cameras in guest rooms and illegally filming customers.

At that time, a guest staying at a motel on the outskirts of Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, suspected a hidden camera and reported it to the police. The responding officers searched the room and found a hidden camera under the handle of the TV drawer. It was installed by the motel owner since June of the same year. According to the police, at least 100 videos were illegally filmed at this motel.

In July 2020, at a hotel in Aewol-eup, Jeju City, a staff member in his 20s was caught secretly filming guests' sexual activities by entering their rooms. The employee, who was prosecuted for trespassing and other charges, denied the allegations, claiming he was only checking the rooms and did not film any sexual acts. However, the court found evidence that the employee confessed the crime to the hotel manager, ruled the charges guilty, and sentenced him to 1 year and 6 months in prison.