Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon called Thursday for comprehensive measures to curb the crime of secretly filming women for sexual gratification, expressing concern that the "hidden camera" offense is fast spreading with technological developments.

During a weekly policy coordination meeting, Lee said that hidden cameras, disguised as various daily devices, are targeting women everywhere and such illicit footage causes enormous damage to victims as it spreads quickly over the Internet.
 

"Digital sex offenses are rising sharply and its methods have become diversified beyond imagination," Lee said. "It's true that our response and system lag behind this."

Lee said that it's important to curb the crime before it becomes too widespread like the broken windows theory, a crime theory that states small crimes, unless dealt with appropriately in time, lead to more serious and widespread offenses.

During the meeting, participants from various ministries and agencies discussed ways to improve the situation in every step of the crime from measures related to sales of hidden cameras and to providing support for victims, officials said.

Lee cautioned, however, that the government shouldn't overreact to the situation. (Yonhap)