The ‘molka’ sex scandal sweeping South Korea

Last year 5,500 people were arrested for ‘molka’ related crimes – a crime which has increased by 600% since 2010. But what is ‘molka’? Molka is the Korean word for secret camera. It is a crime where majorly men (97% of cases), film women in their most intimate moments without the woman’s knowledge. Pornography is illegal in South Korea, and this combined with the countries advanced skills in technology, has formed molka as an illicit substitute. With 40 million people using smartphones in South Korea and the number of molka cases rising, the ways of taking photos and videos becoming more creative and desperate and women are becoming vulnerable to becoming molka victims.

Technology has advanced so much, cameras can be as small as the eye of a pin, making finding the cameras challenging. To help tackle the problem, the government hired investigators to search areas for hidden cameras. An investigator revealed how he always searches places which do not require regular cleaning. For example, he has found cameras in fire-alarms and water-proof cameras in showerheads. Molka can also be live-streamed, a worrying thought, however, live-streaming molka is easier for investigators to track down due to the fact the camera have to be connected to a wi-fi connection.

Additionally, filming women secretly has gone beyond the bedroom, with a rise in the number of cases where women have been filmed whilst using the facilities. Public bathrooms are full of secret cameras recording women. Searches of public toilets have been ordered by the government with 220,000 general areas searched since 2016, these regular searches seem to have reduced the number of spy-cams in toilets so far. Many public toilets also have plastic fitted under the doors to prevent photos being taken by selfie sticks and other forms under the doors.

Another common location which has been used to secretly film is in motel rooms, with motels even lending themselves to molka. Motels have even been making money through molka as they do not have to pay the girls as they are oblivious to the fact they are being filmed. A molka investigator found that in only ten cities there were 30 motels and 42 rooms selling pornography. Inside these motels, cameras have been found everywhere including; clocks, shampoo bottles, hairbrushes, calculators, chargers, air-cons… everywhere you can think of. Luckily, many motel cases can be proved as they are making a profit, it is easier to trace and arrest them.

Unfortunately, not everyone gets the justice they deserve, with a high number of molka criminals often getting away without a prison sentence. A member of the police revealed, the first time someone is found with molka on their phone, they will receive a warning. The second time they will get a fine, the third probation, the fourth time they may get a prison sentence, however, this is often for less than five years.

One family who had their lives torn apart by molka, spoke to Stacey Dooley in her recent documentary. They revealed to her that their daughter was found to be a molka victim when she was simply getting changed in a changing room at a hospital. Their daughter had a difficult time processing that images of her getting undressed were at easing viewing for everyone to see. Her fiancé moved in to look after her, however, the night he moved in, she jumped from a window on the 17th floor. Her family revealed the devastating and psychological effects molka had to her wellbeing and how worried she was of this affecting her career. There were other women in the changing room too which the man also took images of, many other lives he traumatised. The man who took these images was sentenced to ten months imprisonment. The family of the girl are appealing this.

The website ‘soranet’ is where a lot of secret footage is uploaded to. A video on this site named ‘drunk girl passed out on bus’ reached a staggering 290,413 views. However, this site went beyond voyeuristic images of women and displayed videos of organised harrowing, sexual attacks. Videos would be uploaded of drunk women being raped. One man sought out help in raping his wife whilst drunk, he asked for £20-30 to join in to cover motel costs, she was filmed and silenced by the thought of the video becoming public. Soranet was eventually shut down but many other sites similar to soranet have emerged in its place. With the rise of sites displaying molka and violent attacks on women, officials have found it hard to track, there is currently estimated to be over 2,000 adult sites containing molka.

Some men claim they only take images for their own purposes; however, others may use it for revenge by threatening to show it to the victim family members and friends. Molka can be of anyone, from strangers to partners or exes. Some people who feel indulged in their lives online claim to get caught up in the online world, resorting to watching molka due to loneliness. However, this often leads them to taking molka themselves. It is hard to imagine a scenario where sex criminals do not get punished, but some say that molka has become an illness for many men and instead should have therapy. Sex therapist, Dr Sunn revealed he deals with 25 molka related clients a week. He delves into the psychological reasons why people feel the need to indulge in molka. A client of Dr Sunn revealed that he is obsessed with the ‘thrill’ of molka. The client is a 24-year-old virgin but revealed porn leaves him satisfied. He says he is lonely and does not know how to interact with women, which is why he resorts to molka. Dr Sunn breaks down the reasons for why people want to take part in this crime, he breaks down the fundamentals of a healthy relationship to his clients, one where women are not secretly filmed for their own purposes.

In November last year, South Korean K-pop singer, Juan Joon-Young was convicted of gang rape on two separate occasions as well as secretly filming and distributing sex videos of his partners, many of them fans. He was found guilty of distributing molka eleven times. With figures like this in the public eye, women in South Korea are growing increasingly concerned. Concerned what the impact will be on their career should they be filmed, concerned with the embarrassment, and concerned with the ostracism and social isolation they may face.

It is easy to understand why South Korea has one of the lowest birth rates in the world with women fearing that they will be subject to molka. One woman revealed she feels like she needs to cut out the men in her life to protect herself against molka. Feminists groups in South Korea, once rare, now on the rise to fight against molka crimes.

The advanced tech of this country and the ability to share and spread videos in seconds makes this even more worrying. This is an epidemic. But, is this a warning it may come to the UK? South Korea was one of the first countries to make molka illegal, however, the UK did not make revenge porn illegal until 2015, and upskirting was only made illegal last year.

Sources: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0872g59/stacey-dooley-investigates-spycam-sex-criminals

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/11/29/k-pop-star-jailed-six-years-gang-rape-spycam-crimes/