Seoul police chief visits Yonsei University area as masked naked assailant remains at large after 3 months

A man who has been terrorizing the area around Yonsei University and Ansan in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul — known as the "masked naked man" — has remained at large for nearly three months. Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency chief Ko Bum-seok visited the scene and ordered investigators to apprehend the suspect as quickly as possible.

The naked, mask-wearing man sexually assaulted a woman on the Yonsei University campus on the night of Aug. 19, following similar incidents in June and July. Police are investigating and believe the same individual is responsible for all three cases given the similarities in the pattern of offenses, but his whereabouts remain unknown.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said Saturday that Ko visited the area behind Yonsei University and along the Ansan walking trail on Wednesday to assess crime prevention conditions and ordered the "swift arrest" of the suspect. With reports of sexual assault by the masked naked man continuing to come in near the university's dormitories, Ko went to the scene to direct a strengthening of patrols and an accelerated effort to apprehend the suspect.

Ko walked an approximately 640-meter stretch beginning in front of the university's agricultural development institute, passing through a metasequoia-lined path, a security gate near the Muak dormitory and the Ansan walking trail.

The zone sees heavy foot traffic from dormitory residents and nearby residents at night, but visibility is poor due to the wooded hillside terrain. Police noted that blind spots in security lighting and CCTV coverage are also a concern. As he walked the route, Ko checked for particularly dark spots, areas with limited sightlines and whether emergency call buttons were easy to locate.

The scene at night was pitch black. A reporter who visited the area shortly after the incident on Aug. 20 found visibility severely limited. Around 10 p.m., the alley near the tennis courts leading to the university's dormitories — known as the first, second and third student halls — borders Ansan, making it nearly completely dark just a few steps beyond the nearest streetlight.

Areas beyond the reach of the streetlights were virtually invisible, with objects as close as about 8 meters difficult to make out. Students returning late at night were seen using their phone flashlights to navigate, while others arranged to walk in together with friends at set times.

In response, the Seodaemun Police Station significantly increased patrol staffing with support from a wide-area prevention patrol unit and a mobile unit, and is also conducting video surveillance through the Seodaemun-gu control center's CCTV network.

The Seodaemun Police Station has struggled to track down the masked naked man. Police are working to identify the suspect through CCTV footage analysis, but the task has proven difficult in part because the suspect was naked, leaving few identifying features.

"The reason police exist is crime prevention," Ko said. "Uniformed officers patrolling the streets is itself the most powerful deterrent to crime, so we will mobilize every available officer to every corner where citizens go about their lives and protect their peace and safety."