Around one o'clock in the morning, Eun-ju Lee called to her father after having a nightmare, saying, "I feel like he's still watching me."

She finished her life a few days later.

Eun-ju (whose name has been changed) is the victim of secret shooting in Korea. Her colleague at a large hospital in the south of the country made a hole in the wall, leaving a tiny camera in the women's changing room. When he was caught sneaking under a girl's skirt, the police confiscated his phone and discovered videos of four secret victims, including Eun-ju.

A few days before committing suicide, Eun-ju accidentally meets the culprit on the way to the hospital. In a panic, she phoned the hospital union representative, who recorded the call. She whispered and could not seem to breathe.

"Get out of the hospital now," the union representative said. "I can't, can't. I'm afraid I'll see him again," Eun-ju said before giving the phone to a nurse.

Eun-ju's parents say that this encounter has caused such great suffering that Eun-ju feels that she will never escape the sneaky. "You can kill someone without a weapon," said Lee, Eun-ju's father. "The effects of being filmed are different for each person - some pass, but people like my daughter cannot."

"The culprit knows a lot of my daughter's acquaintances. So the thing my kids are most afraid of is that he shared videos with them. Even if he doesn't publish the video online, he can show it to others. see".

Earlier this month, cybercriminals were sentenced to 10 months in prison. Prosecutors previously demanded a two-year sentence. The Korean law provides for a maximum penalty of 5 years imprisonment.

Eun-ju's parents appealed. "Everyone takes this issue lightly," Mr. Lee said. "The sentence is too light".

"10 months in prison is not enough. Even two years is still too light," Ms. Lee said.

Tens of thousands of women agree with that view. They signed an online petition sent to the presidential office in Seoul to call for tougher sentences against sex offenders. This week, the calls were further boosted after K-pop star Goo Hara committed suicide on November 24.

Goo Hara was one of the most prominent female singers in Korea as a member of Kara. But the final years of his career were overshadowed by off-stage events.

In September, she filed a lawsuit against her ex-boyfriend Choi Jong-bum after he threatened to ruin her career by releasing videos of two people having sex. In August, the court found Choi guilty of assault, intimidation, coercion, and vandalism. He was sentenced to 1.5 years in prison.

The court said that Choi had filmed without Goo Hara's consent, but after that she maintained her relationship with Choi so they concluded he was not guilty of illegal filming. Both Choi and Goo Hara appeal the decision. Hara wanted Choi to be punished harder while Choi denied the allegation.

"We may be too late to save Hara, but at least we can help bring justice to her and all abused women out there. Spread the word: punish Choi", " Twitter user named bpteaparty wrote.

"I was heartbroken and angry that Hara had suffered so much. It was a crime for him not to have to go to jail," wrote user elizabethashw12.

Spy shooting has become a pandemic in South Korea, with more than 11,200 cases reported to the police in the past two years. Activists believe that the actual number is greater but many do not dare to denounce. Most convicted are fined only.

"They don't take this crime seriously because men don't suffer," Ahn said. The majority of the victims were women, while the majority of the judges were men.

According to Paik Jong-Woo, director of the Korea Suicide Prevention Center, being secretly filmed by acquaintances could cause "serious injury". "Stalking is a form of sexual violence, a serious breach of personal information and privacy," Paik said.

The Korea Women's Development Institute interviewed more than 2,000 covert victims and other sex offenders. 23% had thought of committing suicide, 16% had planned suicide, and 23 women had actually tried to commit suicide. "The victim needs support and needs to heal," Paik said. "Giving appropriate punishment to perpetrators is the foundation of a healthy society, respecting life".

South Korea's Ministry of Justice says it has amended the law after Goo Hara committed suicide and called prosecutors to ask for the maximum sentence in the most serious cases. However, the Ministry of Justice says that the final decision is a matter of court. The Supreme Court of South Korea declined to comment.

The process of fighting for justice is also difficult for the victims. Goo Hara has had many court hearings, her identity and the nature of the case were made public. At the time, "Goo Hara's sex video" was the top searched keyword online.

Goo Hara has been vilified on social media. K-pop commentator Triangle Herman wrote on Billboard that "her tragic hope will bring a more kind world than what she has faced".

There are many rumors about Goo Hara's death, largely focusing on what some people describe as the "dark side of Kpop" and the harsh competitiveness of the Korean entertainment industry, which requires stars to role models, even in private life.

But there is a much wider problem. Goo Hara lost her best friend, the Kpop star Sulli, who committed suicide in October. women follow Korean culture. That makes her an online target.

Korea is still a conservative and patriarchal society. People's attitudes are starting to change but very slowly. Therefore, abuses against women in some social sectors are not taken seriously. If celebrities like Goo Hara are still being harassed online even as victims of crime, what is the message to others?

Lee Na-young, a sociologist at Chung-Ang University, said that sex crime victims in Korea are often "stigmatized". "They are considered dirty and indifferent. Those offensive words will follow them forever. How can one bear this burden?".

But there is hope that things are starting to change. The girls realize they can speak up. Tens of thousands of people took to the streets last year to call for the treatment of the crime of secretly shooting with the slogan "My life is not your porn." Although the parade brought little change in laws, it helped Korean women realize they were supported.

Lawyer Ahn Seo-yeon said that women are starting to win more in court. "We are experiencing growing pains. However, the social awareness level of Korean youth has improved very quickly. The legal system is also responding quickly, so I'm optimistic that there are change, "said Ahn.

She thinks the biggest change needs to come from within Korean society. "Improving the judicial system is secondary. The most important progress that needs to be made is to raise social and cultural awareness. If people and society do not ask questions and require good problem solving," he said. more; parliament, police and court won't do much. "

Eun-ju Lee's parents are still trying to request a heavier sentence for her spy. "I will fight to the end. It will be up to the supreme court," Mr. Lee said.

See more:

The 'pandemic' of sneaking sensitive videos scares Korean women

The fight against sneaking in Korea

The social dark corner behind the sex scandal of Korean male singers

'Hate culture' pushes Korean stars to the end