An appellate court recently upheld a 10-month prison sentence for a woman who photographed a nude male model during a drawing class and posted it online.

The court said the perpetrator had committed the crime for personal reasons, because she “disliked the victim’s attitude,” and had tried to discard evidence by disposing of her phone.

The court added that the victim had suffered greatly as a result of the spread of the image, which showed both his face and his body, and that the incident would negatively affect his life. The victim had not settled with the perpetrator.

The court emphasized that hidden camera crimes caused severe harm to victims, regardless of sex or gender.

The case came into the spotlight in May, when the woman was taken into police custody for secretly taking the photos at Hongik University in Seoul. Her prompt arrest, 12 days after the photo was shared online, sparked public outrage among those who believed that police had acted promptly because the victim was male.

The incident triggered a series of rallies against the “gender-biased” investigation. Some 12,000 women gathered at Hyehwa Station in Seoul on May 19 for the first rally. The fourth rally, which took place Aug. 4, drew 70,000 women and became the biggest women’s rights rally in Korean history.

The sixth and last rally will take place in Gwanghwamun on Saturday, according to organizers.

By Kim Jee-min (jeeminkim@heraldcorp.com)