A recent report by Human Rights Watch, My Life is Not Your Porn: Digital Sex Crimes in South Korea, has detailed the rising epidemic of digital sex crimes in South Korea. Known as molka, these crimes involve the use of illegal cameras to capture non-consensual, voyeuristic images and videos, predominantly of women and girls.
Another case in the report described a woman who committed suicide after a male co-worker filmed her without her knowledge in their workplace’s changing rooms. The mental toll such an insidious invasion of privacy has on survivors fails to be appreciated by the authorities who handle them. Lee Ye-Rin described the ongoing turmoil she has experienced in the aftermath of her experience, “I cried all night, I couldn’t sleep, I had to take medicine to soothe myself…Even now this happens,” she said.
Companies tend to use a very specific formula for female idols: sexual suggestiveness offset by a childlike innocence, not dissimilar to that which launched an underage Britney Spears into the stratosphere of superstardom and scrutiny. This image often carries over into their personal lives; companies forbid dating to maintain the illusion of fantasy girlfriend to male fans, while personal beliefs and political values should not be discussed.
ADVERTISEMENT What also ties these cases together is a startling lack of action taken by police and authority figures. Prior to her death, Sulli had gone to her company SM for help, one of the most powerful and well known in South Korea, but little was done. When women report digital sex crimes, the HRW described how police often meet them with disbelief and even accusations of lying.