\u2018Courage to be uncomfortable\u2019 was the slogan of the anti-hidden camera movement during its fifth protest on Seoul\u2019s streets<\/b>
\nWhile Typhoon Kong-rey hit parts of South Korea on Saturday, a different storm has been brewing in the nation\u2019s capital for months. The air was heavy and humid in Seoul\u2019s Hyehwa district after a morning of strong rain, but thousands of female protesters were undeterred as they joined the city\u2019s fifth anti-hidden camera protest.
Wearing bright red hoodies or T-shirts and many hiding their faces under scarlet cardboard visors, medical masks, sunglasses and bandanas, the crowds of mostly young women chanted slogans and held signs saying \u201ccourage to be uncomfortable\u201d and \u201cuncomfortable courage changes the world\u201d.
They sat in neat rows as their voices sounded out in a collective outcry against the epidemic of hidden camera sex crimes in the country. The organisers\u2019 optimistically estimated about 60,000 women were at the event, while the police said they didn\u2019t bother counting.
Over the past year, \u201cmolka\u201d \u2013 or hidden cameras \u2013 have become a major issue in South Korea. From upskirt photos on the subway to images taken from inside public toilets, hidden camera sex crimes are the cause of much anger and concern among South Korean women, compounded by the rising problem of revenge pornography on the highly-connected nation\u2019s massive online community.
\u201cWomen should live as human beings in a society where there is no gender-based inequality,\u201d the protest organisers told South China Morning Post before the event. \u201cOur voices will continue to cry out until gender inequality is eliminated in all areas of society.\u201d
The slogan \u201ccourage to be uncomfortable\u201d is based on the notion of starting conversations and speaking out about \u201cuncomfortable\u201d topics such as sexism, discrimination and sexual violence against women.
Near the protest, a male passer-by said the event did indeed make him feel uncomfortable.
\u201cI respect this protest because it\u2019s an issue I can\u2019t experience as a man. But they\u2019re making the atmosphere so uncomfortable by saying \u2018men are wrong, women are right\u2019. Honestly, I can\u2019t pay too much attention, I just think these women are hardworking in their cause.\u201d
During the event, organisers said they received several threats from people against their cause. According to attendees, a male detractor was arrested after shooting at the protest organisers with an air gun.
Anti-molka protesters say men get away with committing hidden camera crimes, while women are left to pay for them. According to the protest organisers, 98 per cent of hidden camera offenders are let off or receive a light punishment such as a fine or warning.
\u201cKorean women have to check for hidden cameras in public places, Korean women have to search their own names on porn sites to see if someone has uploaded their videos or photos,\u201d they said. \u201cSociety makes us blame ourselves for \u2018not being careful\u2019 and \u2018not saying no\u2019. Women have to endure a second round of abuse of social judgment, after they become victims of these crimes.\u201d
This week, South Korean K-pop star Goo Hara made headlines as the latest prominent figure to be embroiled in a revenge porn scandal. Goo claims an ex-boyfriend blackmailed her by threatening to release a sex video of them, according to local reports.
Under pressure from the protests and a petition with more than 200,000 signatures, South Korean police formed a special investigation team to deal with the issue, the organiser said.
\u201cThey caught 1,012 people for running revenge porn sites, online sharing platforms, hidden camera shooters, and the like, but they only arrested 6.2 per cent [of those involved] for their crimes\u2026 Our anger about the discrimination of women, hidden cameras and misogyny has reached its limit,\u201d said the organisers. \u201cAnd it brings women out to march on the streets.\u201d
Additional reporting by Chaihyun Lee<\/p>\n

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