Man arrested in Hong Kong for secretly filming flight attendants' bodies

A Japanese man was sentenced to prison by a Hong Kong court after secretly filming the bodies of female flight attendants, including a Korean, aboard a passenger flight bound for Hong Kong, local media reported.

Airplanes are seen at a landing strip at Incheon International Airport on Dec. 18, 2018, in this file photo unrelated to the story. [JOONGANG ILBO]

A Japanese man was sentenced to prison by a Hong Kong court after secretly filming the bodies of female flight attendants, including a Korean, aboard a passenger flight bound for Hong Kong, local media reported.

A local court on Wednesday sentenced the man to four weeks in jail and fined him 10,000 Hong Kong dollars ($1,280), according to Hong Kong outlet HK01. The man, a Japanese national, works as a manager at an IT company.

The incident occurred on Nov. 24 last year on a flight traveling from Osaka to Hong Kong. Prosecutors said the man used his mobile phone to covertly record female cabin crew members while they were on duty during the flight.

About two hours after takeoff, the man appeared to be photographing the scenery outside the airplane window. However, a male passenger seated behind him noticed that the culprit’s phone screen displayed images of flight attendants' lower bodies for about five minutes, according to local reports.

The two victims were later identified as a Korean crew member and a Taiwanese crew member, both seated in the jump seats at the front of the cabin. After the passenger alerted them to the filming, the flight attendants became aware of the situation. The culprit then deleted the images from his phone.

When the flight attendants asked to inspect the device, they found five to six photos remaining that showed their full bodies, skirts and legs. The victims reported the incident to authorities, and the man was handed over to the Hong Kong police upon landing.

Police later discovered additional images in the phone’s recently deleted folder, including a close-up photo taken underneath one flight attendant’s skirt. The man initially refused to make a statement but later admitted to the charges.

The man told investigators that he noticed the flight attendants while photographing the view outside and decided to take pictures, reportedly saying he found the way one victim was sitting attractive.

The man’s lawyer argued the act was impulsive and unplanned, noting that he had no prior criminal record, cooperated with police and had already spent four weeks in custody. The court nevertheless imposed a custodial sentence, citing the seriousness of the offense.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]