Man Exposes Himself on Subway... Turns Out to Be an Active-Duty Soldier

Exposure of Private Parts on Shinbundang Line Subway
Seocho Police Identify Suspect Through CCTV Tracking

Amid the spread of a video on social networking services (SNS) showing a man in military uniform exposing his private parts on the Shinbundang Line subway in the Seoul metropolitan area, police have identified the individual. The man has been confirmed to be an active-duty soldier in his 20s.

On April 25, the Seocho Police Station in Seoul announced that they had identified the man in his 20s, referred to as Mr. A, who is under suspicion of public indecency, by tracking closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage and other sources. Mr. A is accused of exposing his private parts inside a Shinbundang Line subway car on April 19 while wearing a military uniform and boots.

Mr. A, who has been revealed to be an active-duty soldier, reportedly got off at Yangjae Citizen's Forest Station on the Shinbundang Line around 2 p.m. on April 19, then reboarded the Shinbundang Line to move to Gangnam Station, where he transferred to Line 2. The police are currently coordinating a schedule for Mr. A to appear for questioning in order to clarify the details of the incident. Although Mr. A is a soldier, due to the amendments to the Military Court Act in 2022, investigative authority for certain crimes such as sexual offenses has been granted to the police, so the investigation will proceed under police jurisdiction.

Meanwhile, on the day of the incident, a netizen identified as Mr. B posted on X (formerly Twitter) under the title "Women riding the Shinbundang Line, please be careful," sharing photos and videos showing a man in military uniform exposing his private parts, along with details of the incident. The video clearly shows a man in military uniform unzipping his pants and exposing his private parts.

Mr. B also shared the account of the victim, Ms. C, who had sent him details of her experience. Ms. C told Mr. B, "Today, while riding the Shinbundang Line, a man in military uniform stood in front of me with his pants unzipped. He also appeared to be taking photos with his phone," and asked him to help raise public awareness. She continued, "I was so shocked that I tried texting the Shinbundang Line complaint number, but the message wouldn't go through. So I contacted the police, and the case has now been reported as public indecency, but the man has not been caught yet." Ms. C further requested, "As someone who uses the Shinbundang Line every day, I am very scared. Please post something warning other women who ride the Shinbundang Line to be careful." She added, "The police advised me that if this happens on a train, instead of reporting it to the subway complaint line, it's faster to text 112 with the train number." The post quickly spread across various online communities.