A police officer uses a detector to search for hidden cameras at a public restroom. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Feb. 27 (Korea Bizwire) — Due to the spread of smartphones, illegal spy cam porn crimes have soared and the rate of second offenders is also high.
The Ministry of Justice analyzed 74,956 sex crimes and 2901 cases of re-registration under the sex offender registry from 2008 to 2018.
As a result, “indecent act by force” accounted for the largest proportion of all sex crimes, at 44.1 percent, and “rape” accounted for 30.5 percent.
In particular, 12.4 percent of the crimes were attributed to “spy cam porn”. There were 412 cases in 2013, but the number increased 5.8 times over the five-year period to 2,388 in 2018.
However, most of the illegal filming was punishable by fines, accounting for 56.5 percent. The number was higher than the probation (30.3 percent) and prison terms (8.2 percent).
Meanwhile, 16.1 percent of sex crimes occurred from 9 p.m. to midnight, 15.7 percent between midnight and 3 a.m., and 12.9 percent between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m.
Of the total, 48.9 percent were spy cam porn, and occurred for the most part between 3 p.m. and midnight.
In 73,356 cases, women were the victims, accounting for 93.9 percent. By age, 67.8 percent of the victims were under 29.
The number of cases in which perpetrators were registered for committing sex crimes again was one in 2009, but the number rose to 967 in 2018.
In particular, 75 percent of the time, crimes involving cameras were committed again, and the offenders’ identities were registered again.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
