'Will Continue Showing Wonderful India', Says Korean Youtuber, After Police Nab Men Who Harassed Her On Livestream

Footage from a South Korean live-stream video showing two men sexually harassing her on the streets of Mumbai had recently gone viral. The video was tweeted by a user who tagged the Mumbai Police, asking them to take necessary action against the men.

Soon after, the video was taken up by the police, who took suo moto action against the harassers and booked them under charges of assault and using criminal force to outrage a woman's modesty. The incident brought back discussions on women's safety, victim blaming, and the legal provisions set in place to address sexual harassment.

Who Is At Fault?

The incident occurred while the South Korean Twitch streamer Hyojeong Park, known online as Mhyochi, was live-streaming her journey in Mumbai. The video shows two men approaching the foreign national in Khar (West) and asking her random questions. As Hyojeong responds to them, one of them grabs her hand and forcibly takes her to their scooter even as she attempts to stop them. The accused can then be seen mocking her accent and telling her, "Gaadi pe betchi (Sit on the vehicle), jalchi (fast). One time."

When she politely refused them, the man put his hand around her neck and tried to kiss her on the cheek. Taken aback by the men's actions, the streamer moves away and can repeatedly be seen telling them off. Even after she walks away from them, the two accused follow her and ask her to sit with them on the scooter.

The footage was uploaded to Twitter by a user named Aditya (@Beaver_R6), with the Mumbai Police tagged in the caption. Stating that such disgusting acts cannot go unpunished, he urged the officials to look into the issue. Hyojeong replied to the tweet, saying she had tried her best not to "escalate the situation and leave because he was with his friend".

@MumbaiPolice A streamer from Korea was harassed by these boys in Khar last night while she was live streaming in front of a 1000+ people. This is disgusting and some action needs to be taken against them. This cannot go unpunished. pic.twitter.com/WuUEzfxTju

— Aditya (@Beaver_R6) November 30, 2022

However, the reactions to the incident shocked her and made her rethink streaming for a while. Park said that many people were quick to blame her for the incident and insinuated that harassment was a result of her "being too friendly" and engaging in a conversation with them. A report by The Print that referred to her Instagram story, says that Mhyohi stated many users conveyed she was naive and shouldn't have walked alone or drunk at the bar alone.

Prompt Action Against Violators

A day after the video surfaced, the Mumbai Police took suo moto action against the accused and got in touch with Hyojeong. She volunteered to provide them with her contact and based on the information she provided, the police were able to nab the two men who harassed her.

On December 1, the Mumbai police tweeted, "Both the accused have been arrested and booked under relevant sections of the IPC." The accused were identified as Mobeen Chand Mohammad Shaikh and Mohammad Naqeeb Sadrealam Ansari, who have been charged under Section 354 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for assault and using criminal force to outrage a woman's modesty.

Mumbai Police's Khar Police station has taken a Suo Moto action in an incident that happened with a Korean woman (foreigner) in the jurisdiction of Khar West.

In this regard, both the accused have been arrested and booked under relevant sections of the IPC.

#WomensSafety

— मुंबई पोलीस - Mumbai Police (@MumbaiPolice) December 1, 2022

Expressing gratitude to the officials, Hyojeong said that the police had taken swift action against the harassers. She recollected how a similar incident had occurred in a different nation, and she could not reach out to the police there.

Hyojeong has been in Mumbai for the past three weeks and conveyed that she plans to stay in the city longer. A report by the Indian Express quoted her saying that she did not want one such incident to ruin the rest of her journey and that she would continue to show the wonderful part of India to the rest of the world.

Also Read: Sexual Harassment Charges Won't Stand If Woman Is Wearing 'Sexually Provocative' Dress: Kerala Court