Man secretly records 17 nude video calls with ex, gets caught after new girlfriend finds hard drive
A Korean man living in Singapore secretly recorded 17 nude video calls with his then-girlfriend despite repeatedly telling her he did not know how to record their calls.
His deception was uncovered only after they broke up, when his new girlfriend found the videos while cleaning his home — and copied them before he could destroy the evidence.
The 44-year-old Korean national faced three charges, including voyeurism and offences under the Films Act, reported Shin Min Daily News.
He pleaded guilty to one charge and was sentenced to three months’ jail.
The victim, a 45-year-old Korean woman, was his former girlfriend. A gag order prohibits the publication of information that could identify her, including the man’s name.
Told ex he did not know how to record video calls
The pair met on dating app Tinder and began a relationship in 2022.
When they were apart overseas, they kept in touch through video calls, during which they sometimes appeared nude.
The woman had repeatedly made it clear that she did not want the calls recorded and had even asked the man directly about it.
He told her he did not know how to make screen recordings, but he later secretly learnt how to do so.
Between Feb 18 and Oct 23, 2023, he recorded 17 nude video calls over 15 days without her knowledge.
The clips ranged from 7 minutes and 21 seconds to 55 minutes and 36 seconds.
He stored the recordings on a hard drive at his Singapore home and watched them while masturbating.
New girlfriend discovers hard drive
The couple broke up in January 2024, after which the man began dating another woman, 37.
On Jan 6 that year, his new girlfriend was cleaning his home when she discovered the hard drive containing the recordings.
She confronted him the following day and told him to delete them.
The man later destroyed the hard drive in an attempt to get rid of the evidence.
However, his new girlfriend had already made copies of the videos.
Several months later, on May 15, she contacted his ex-girlfriend through social media and told her what she had found, according to Shin Min.
Told victim accusations were ‘ridiculous’
The victim called the man on May 17 to confront him.
During another call the following morning, she told him she had been unable to sleep after learning about the recordings, that he had ruined her life and that she had even thought about killing herself, Shin Min reported.
The man replied that he had already destroyed the evidence and called any accusations against him “absurd and ridiculous”.
He also said he would never admit in court to secretly recording the videos.
Fearing the impact on her reputation and career, the victim made a police report the following day.
Meanwhile, the new girlfriend had already copied the recordings and later handed them to police.
Defence says he wanted to ‘maintain an emotional connection’
In mitigation, the defence said the man had committed the offence because he wanted to maintain an emotional connection with his former girlfriend and had since compensated her.
A defence medical expert also said he suffered from adjustment disorder and that the condition was linked to the offence.
Prosecutors disputed this, noting that the medical report was produced about two years after the offences and arguing that there was insufficient evidence to support the claim.
The prosecution said the man knew the victim strongly objected to being recorded but continued doing so deliberately over a prolonged period, abusing her trust.
Prosecutors had sought a jail term of three-and-a-half months.
He was ultimately sentenced to three months’ jail.
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