Korean arrested in Japan for taking upskirt photos

A Korean police officer surveying for hidden camera at a public toilet at a university in Seoul in 2020. Photo is unrelated to the story. [YONHAP]

A 46-year-old Korean traveling with his family in Japan has been arrested for using his smartphone to secretly shoot upskirt videos.

According to a report in Japan's Kobe Shimbun on Tuesday, officers from the Ikuta Police Station in Hyogo Prefecture made the arrest on Monday.

The Korean man allegedly used his smartphone to film under the skirt of a 22-year-old woman while on an escalator at a store in Kobe.

A 37-year-old woman who witnessed the crime reported it to police.

The Kyoto Shimbun said they found explicit images on the man's phone. The unidentified Korean has reportedly admitted to the charges against him.

Under Japanese law, people who violate the country's law against non-consensual photography face up to three years in prison or a maximum fine of 3 million yen ($22,000).

BY LEE HO-JEONG [lee.hojeong@joongang.co.kr]