Taking pictures at beaches could lead to punishment

Taking pictures of girls at the beach without consent may lead to big trouble.

By Isaac Kim

An exchange student from China, 22, visited Busan’s Haeundae Beach on July 17.

A sudden thought came to him as he watched Korean girls in bikinis playing in the water. He took out his smartphone and began taking multiple pictures of them.

Those around him looked at him suspiciously and alerted the authorities of what was taking place on the beach. The marine police found him and searched through his phone.

Saved on his phone was over 20 pictures of Korean girls in bikinis. Most of the pictures focused on certain parts of the unsuspecting girls’ bodies.

Accused with sexual harassment, the foreigner claimed, “The Korean girls were so cute and pretty with their make-up that I couldn’t help myself. I didn’t realize taking pictures was a crime.”

Police found his student visa expired last February and took him into custody for staying in the country illegally.

As the weather gets hotter, sex crimes at Haeundae Beach increase as well.

There have already been five suspects apprehended on charges of sex crimes this year at the beach. All of them had been taking pictures of certain parts of bikini-clad Korean girls.

If three to four full-body shots have been taken, there is a possibility of being released without punishment only if the targets of the pictures choose not to press charges and the photos are deleted.

However, if a girl feels she was being violated by focusing the picture on certain parts of her body, the perpetrator will face arrest and punishment. There have been five cases of foreigners taking unauthorized pictures of girls.

One police official stated, “Korean men usually don’t do anything that arouse suspicion, but foreign men have a tendency to satisfy their curiosity and take pictures. If you want to take pictures of a girl, ask her for her admission and even if you get the shot, posting it online is illegal.”