Cha Eun Woo targeted in secret surveillance; woman in her 50s booked by Seoul police for planting listening device

South Korean singer and actor Cha Eun Woo is at the centre of a privacy investigation in Seoul after a woman in her 50s allegedly planted listening devices under a café table while he was having a private conversation. Police reportedly caught the woman when she returned to the café to remove the devices.

The woman has been booked by the Yongsan Police Station for allegedly violating South Korea’s Communications Secrets Protection Act. She is being investigated without detention as police look into how the devices were placed, whether they could record conversations and whether any private discussion involving Cha Eun Woo was actually captured.

According to Korean news outlet Sports Chosun, the woman allegedly planted listening devices under a table at a café in Seoul’s Yongsan District on two separate occasions in August. Cha Eun Woo was reportedly at the café on both days, where he was having a private conversation with an acquaintance.

The first incident took place on August 23. Police believe the woman returned to the café on August 29, when Eun Woo was there again, and allegedly placed additional devices under the table. One report said five listening devices were installed during the two visits. Investigators are now checking the devices to determine what they may have recorded and whether any of Eun Woo’s private conversations were captured.

The said woman was emergency-arrested at the café, but was later released after prosecutors did not approve the emergency arrest, according to reports. She is now being investigated without detention as police continue to gather evidence and piece together what happened.

Police have also taken her mobile phone for forensic examination. They are checking whether she acted on her own and how she allegedly obtained the listening devices.

Investigators are also trying to understand why Cha Eun Woo was allegedly targeted and what she planned to do with any conversations the devices may have picked up. Police have not disclosed any further information, as the investigation is still underway.

Cha Eun Woo, 29, is a singer and actor who first rose to fame as a member of K-pop group ASTRO before making a name for himself on screen. He has starred in popular K-drama s including True Beauty, A Good Day to Be a Dog and Wonderful World.

He is currently serving his mandatory military service after enlisting last year and is part of the military band. While he has been away serving, his latest series The Wonderfools, co-starring Park Eun Bin , was released on Netflix earlier this year.

Monica Yadav is a senior entertainment journalist with Hindustan Times Entertainment, based in Mumbai, with nearly 11 years of experience covering Bollywood, Hollywood and Asian entertainment, including Korean, Chinese and Thai cinema, television and music. She is among the few Indian journalists in India with a dedicated focus on Korean entertainment, including K-pop and K-dramas, and has interviewed some of the industry's biggest stars while closely tracking the rise of global pop culture. Her reporting has also taken her beyond India, where she has covered travel, culture and entertainment.