Caught in the act: Man molests South Korean woman livestreaming in Hong Kong

[UPDATE Sept 13]: Hong Kong police arrested a man suspected of molesting a South Korean woman while she was livestreaming in Central, South China Morning Post reported.

The 46-year-old suspect, who works as a waiter, was detained on Tuesday morning, the police said. Officers also seized clothes and shoes that matched what the man was wearing in the video.

---

A clip of a South Korean woman being groped by a man at a train station in Hong Kong has gone viral.

A South Korean Twitch streamer with the username May5w was livestreaming at a tram stop in Central, Hong Kong on Sunday (Sep 10) night when she was approached by a man dressed in black.

In the livestream shared online, the man was initially conversing with May5w about the tram timings and on whether they have missed the last tram as it was late. 

And when this woman decided to take the train instead, she kindly offered to guide the man as well and told him to follow her.

But that was when the man started to touch her inappropriately, placing his arm on her shoulders, according to her. 

May5w brushed off his arm from her shoulders and tried to move away from him, but then he proceeded to grab her arm and said: "Listen, come with me."

"Please don't hold my arm," May5w shouted. Repeatedly telling the man "no", she then proceeded to enter the train station. 

Pressed her against the wall

But as she was trying to run away from him, May5w was then cornered by the man. "Listen, I am alone," he whispered in her ears while forcefully pressing her against the wall.

Fighting off the man, the South Korean woman cried out: "I am not alone." 

The man can be seen in the clip groping her from behind and holding her for about 10 seconds before attempting to kiss her face.

Continuing to fight off the man, May5w tried to protect herself. When the man stopped, she immediately ran towards a passer-by shouting "please help me!"

Her viewers who witnessed the incident live also urged her to run and call for police. 

Visibly shaken by what happened, May5w said: "I just wanted to help him."

'It's not Hong Kong's fault': May5w

On Monday evening, May5w did a follow-up livestream from her hotel in Macau, talking about the bruises she sustained from the sexual assault, reported South China Morning Post (SCMP). 

"The bruises became worse actually, he held me too tight," she said. 

She added that her experience in the train station would not influence any future visits to Hong Kong, stating that she would return to Hong Kong on Wednesday. 

"That's the guy's fault. It's not Hong Kong's fault," she said.

A Hong Kong police spokesman said they have taken notice of the online video and are trying to contact the woman for further information, reported SCMP. 

The police also said they have received reports from the public about the clip and that they have launched an investigation into the case.

ALSO READ: Un-Holi: Outrage in India after men seen groping female tourist during festival

ashwini.balan@asiaone.com