Molka (Korean: 몰카, pronounced [mo(ː)ɭkʰa]) is the Korean term for hidden cameras or miniature spy cameras secretly and illegally installed, often in order to capture voyeuristic images and videos. Molka is an abbreviation of mollae-kamera (몰래카메라), which means "sneaky camera". The expression originated from the homonymous title of a Korean prank TV show, which existed from March 1991 to November 1992. This makes the term denote prank and spy camera at the same time. 'Molka' can refer to both the actual cameras as well as the footage later posted online. Molka crimes have become a prominent point of feminist protest and #MeToo in South Korea.
History The associated problems with molka have led South Korean cell phone manufacturers to be required to have phones emit loud shutter noises upon taking a picture. More recently, the term molka has become associated with smaller, fixed spycams. Fixed spycams have been found in public areas in Korea as early as 1997, where secret cameras were found to be installed in the ceiling of a Sinchon department store's women's restroom. While the department store stated that the cameras were installed for 'security purposes' to catch thieves and people who threw trash down toilets, the incident received much public criticism. With the increase in smartphone ownership and rapid development of technology, molka crimes have also been increasingly found in spaces such as public bathrooms, changing rooms, schools, and offices. Molka crimes have been called a product of fast, easy access to internet technology and "backwards" misogyny, or an example of "digital male sexual violence". According to police data, around 1,100 to 1,400 alleged molka crimes were reported to the police in 2010 and 2011 respectively, but in 2018, there were 6,800 reports. Revenge porn, or private photos and footage taken and circulated by former lovers or partners without consent of the filmed subject, is a related form of harassment thought to be roughly as widespread a problem in South Korea.
Public bathroom molka crimes Public bathrooms are one of the most commonly mentioned locations for spycam installation. Many women have said that they do not feel safe using public bathrooms because there is such a high possibility of there being a hidden camera, and there are many accounts of women breaking cameras with pens or covering up holes and cracks in walls, toilet paper holders, and hairdryers where cameras might be hidden. In September 2018, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced it would increase public bathroom inspection by assigning 8,000 employees to inspect the city's 20,000+ bathrooms on a daily basis, a step up from the previous 50 employees and monthly inspections. However, government inspectors have not actually discovered any recording devices in public restrooms since at least 2016. Another problem is that according to police, many spy cameras are only installed for short periods of time—as brief as 15 minutes—and therefore can be difficult to detect even with the implementation of daily searches.
Motel molka crimes Molka has also been found to be secretly installed in motel rooms, and the content of the recorded films is explicitly sexual rather than capturing women's bodies alone. Since couples are involved, motel molka crimes may also position many men as victims, in contrast to most other molka positions. The perpetrator may check into a motel and install cameras in places such as hairdryer holders and satellite boxes. A particularly widespread incident was discovered in March 2019. Over three months, more than 800 couples had been live-streamed having sex in 30 love motels across 10 cities in South Korea. The videos, posted online and accessible for a monthly subscription fee, were hosted on an overseas server so that the cameras' IP addresses would be harder to detect. The two men in charge of the scheme were arrested, and two other men were suspected to be accomplices. The Burning Sun scandal revealed a high-profile case of molka circulation, where celebrities such as Jung Joonyoung were found to have filmed or shared explicit sexual videos in a private chat room, many of which were filmed in motel rooms and involved with prostitution rings. This gave an example of how the issue is connected to other gendered violence and the common complacency of law enforcement towards or active concealment of crimes and violence towards women. The scandal has also fueled more discussion about the issues of illegal filming, prostitution, and sexual violence against women, among others.
… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.
