Suspected After Using Apartment Gym Bathroom
"Responded Absurdly with Police Speaking Informally"
Hwaseong Dongtan Police Station Confirming Facts... "Will Take Measures"
A man in his 20s who recently completed his military service was falsely accused of a sex crime after using the men's restroom at an apartment gym in Gyeonggi Province.
Mr. A, who claims to have been wronged after using the apartment gym restroom, insists on his innocence. [Photo by YouTube channel 'Eogulhan Namja']
On the 25th, a post titled "A man being falsely accused of a sex crime in real-time" was shared across various online communities and social media platforms. The post detailed the unfair experience of Mr. A, a resident of an apartment complex in Dongtan, Gyeonggi Province.
The incident involved Mr. A, who was working out at a gym in an apartment complex in Dongtan on the 24th. When he went to use the restroom within the apartment, he was later investigated by the police who arrived the next day. This was because a woman had reported that someone was peeping on her in the gym restroom the day before, and upon reviewing the closed-circuit television (CCTV), Mr. A was identified as the suspect.
The police explained the situation to Mr. A, saying, "There was a report that a man entered the women's restroom and was peeping while she was using the toilet," and "Upon checking the CCTV, your appearance was confirmed." Mr. A responded by asking, "Are you sure the appearance on the CCTV matches me?" and insisted that he had never entered the women's restroom.
The issue arose from the police's behavior toward Mr. A. He released a recording of his entire conversation with the police. In the recording, although Mr. A was still only a suspect (someone suspected but not yet proven to have committed a crime), the police repeatedly spoke to him informally, asking, "Are you a student? A soldier?" and "How old are you now?" When Mr. A took out his ID and his hands trembled, the officer said, "You can take it out slowly. Why are your hands shaking?" in a teasing manner. When Mr. A visited the police station to check the case number, the police responded absurdly, saying, "If you have nothing to hide, just stay still."
Mr. A claimed, "The apartment gym restrooms are separated by gender, and the men's restroom has urinals, so there is no way to confuse them," and added, "Even though I said I had nothing to do with it, the police already treated me like a criminal, ignoring me and speaking informally." He also expressed, "I consulted a lawyer for legal advice, but I still cannot shake off the anxiety."
Netizens who read about the incident reacted with comments such as, "Why are they speaking informally?", "Haven't they learned the presumption of innocence?", "Is it okay for the police to treat citizens like that?", "That officer should be disciplined," "How unfair this must be," "The police seem to misunderstand what a suspect is," and "What if Mr. A is not the culprit, why behave like that?"
As the incident sparked controversy, attention has also turned to the Hwaseong Dongtan Police Station in Gyeonggi Province, which is investigating the case. A police official stated, "We are investigating the police's attitude, and if it is confirmed that they spoke informally or behaved improperly, appropriate measures will be taken," and added, "Since Mr. A is not yet at the suspect stage, we will thoroughly review objective evidence to ensure there is no injustice."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
