The Supreme Court acquitted the 34-year-old man identified as Ahn, who had taken pictures of the bare legs of a woman in a miniskirt in December 2006. Current law provides no basis for punishing a person who photographs parts of another body without permission. A victim can only demand compensation for the violation of their private life and right of portrait. Or if the photographer is accused with taking pictures of women’s intimate parts, which is tantamount to sexual harassment, he can be punished for violating a special law against sexual violence.

The key in this case was to establish whether Ahn’s act constituted a violation of that law. But the photo presented as evidence does not reveal the face of the woman and only features her legs below the short skirt. The Supreme Court said the picture did not fully prove that Ahn wanted to gratify his sexual desire or to cause the woman humiliation by taking it.

A lawyer approved the Supreme Court decision, saying the man had not taken photos of intimate parts under the skirt and had not spread the photo on the Internet. Therefore if he had been found guilty, his personal freedom would have been limited excessively.

However, opponents said the court was too lenient. Lee Mi-kyung, the head of the Korea Sexual Violence Relief Center, said with the Supreme Court decision, no restrictions will be placed on people who take pictures of women on the street without their agreement. “We have to punish people who take pictures of passers-by to protect their privacy in an era when cameras are getting ever smaller,” she said.

(englishnews@chosun.com )