After K-pop, could spycam porn be the next great Korean cultural export?
- Yonden Lhatoo asks where South Korea is going and what it means for the rest of the world as the country is plagued by one hidden-camera sex scandal after another
“We may well be the country with the highest number of peeping toms per capita,” a rueful South Korean friend told me this week. “Forget about K-pop and all our great cultural exports; if we keep this up, we’re going to be seen as a nation of perverts.”
Sarcasm and self-deprecating humour aside, as a Western-educated professional living overseas, he was genuinely frustrated and embarrassed over the scandalous news reports of perverts, peeping toms and all manner of deviants besmirching his home country’s reputation on an almost daily basis.
I don’t see any official statistics out there to lend credence to his perverts-per-capita estimate, but he may not be far off the mark regarding the spycam epidemic plaguing hyper-wired South Korea.
It’s known as molka, the dirty business of men secretly recording and sharing or selling sexually explicit images of women, and that means anything from upskirt photos on public transport and escalators to videos in public toilets, changing rooms, hotels and even homes. And it’s out of control in one of the most tech-savvy places on the planet, where nearly 90 per cent of adults own a smartphone, and even more have internet access.
The hotels have not been publicly identified, but they’re said to be motel-style establishments that are popular among travellers seeking affordable accommodation as well as local couples looking for privacy. That ought to work wonders for paranoia over some degenerate spying on you the next time you find yourself in a hotel room in the country.
And it comes hot on the heels of another scandal that has rocked the foundations of South Korea’s beloved K-pop industry. This one involves some of the most celebrated young men in the singing business bragging about and sharing videos of their sexual escapades and “conquests”.
How K-pop sex scandal exposes South Korea’s culture of toxic masculinity
You should read the transcripts of the messages exchanged between these squeaky-clean looking male idols in their immaculate suits and mascara, hero-worshipped by millions of youngsters, as they talk privately about women like they’re nothing more than pieces of meat.
This is the manifestation of the Frankenstein monster that the so-called Korean Wave or Hallyu brand of entertainment has created. It’s not really surprising, given that the industry has long been defined by the rampant sexual and financial exploitation of K-pop stars themselves, beneath all the superficial bling and glamour.
For a country that still – justifiably – bristles at the memory of how the Japanese military forced its women into sexual slavery during the second world war, it’s quite ironic that South Korea is unable to get a grip on this modern-day scourge that terrorises and traumatises its female population.
It stems from a culture of monolithic patriarchy that comes with all the baggage of male chauvinism, misogyny and toxic masculinity.
Don’t underestimate the wider impact of what’s happening in South Korea, because the fallout is not confined within the country’s borders. K-pop is a global colonial power, and its idols are admired and emulated by millions of youngsters everywhere.
Is the world’s most digitally connected country setting some kind of global standard when it comes to voyeurism and spycam porn? Is this the next great cultural export, riding on the mighty Korean Wave?
Let’s hope not.
Yonden Lhatoo is the chief news editor at the Post
