South Korea porn scandal: Four arrested after 1,600 hotel guests secretly filmed by spycam

Hidden camera footage streamed live on internet

Hotel guests were secretly filmed by mini cameras hidden in wall sockets and hairdryer holders (AFP/Getty)

Four people have been arrested in South Korea after covert films of about 1,600 hotel guests were made available to paying customers on the internet.

Mini spy cameras were set up in TV set-top boxes, hair dryer sockets and electrical outlets in 42 rooms in 30 hotels across the country.

More than 800 videos were posted to an overseas-based porn website between November and March, according to the Korean national police agency.

The suspects earned around 7m South Korean won (£4,700) from selling the footage, it is claimed.

Police said in a statement that one of the suspects installed the cameras after entering the hotels as a guest.

A second ran the website, which allowed users to pay for full videos or watch 30-second clips for free before it was shut down earlier this month, according to police.

Two others were involved in funding the operation or buying the spy cameras, it is claimed.

The two main suspects could face up to seven years in prison if convicted.

They are believed to be the first people arrested in South Korea over allegations of livestreaming hidden camera footage of hotel guests.

“There was a similar case in the past where illegal cameras were installed in hotels and were consistently and secretly watched, but this is the first time where videos were broadcast live on the internet,” a police spokesperson said.

It is the latest in a series of spy camera scandals in the country. Last year thousands of women joined rallies in Seoul to demand stronger action from the government and in November tougher penalties were introduced for illegal filming and distributing images without consent.

Reports of crimes with spy cameras have rocketed in recent years, from around 1,100 in 2010 to more than 6,000 in 2017.

A police official waves a spy-cam detector in front of a wall-mounted hairdryer during a press conference in Seoul (AFP/Getty)

In a separate case a South Korean boy band star is facing allegations he secretly filmed himself having sex with women and then shared the videos with friends in mobile group chats.

On Thursday a Seoul court considered whether to issue an arrest warrant for 28-year-old K-pop singer Lee Seung-hyun, known as Seungri, who has been charged with paying for prostitutes for foreign businessmen.

Additional reporting by Reuters and the Associated Press