Woman in her 50s investigated for allegedly bugging actor Cha Eun-woo at Seoul cafe

A woman in her 50s has been booked on charges of wiretapping actor Cha Eun-woo, 29, whose legal name is Lee Dong-min.

The Seoul Yongsan Police Station has booked the woman, identified only as A, on charges of violating the Protection of Communications Secrets Act and is investigating the case, police said Friday.

A is suspected of attaching a listening device under a table at a cafe in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on Aug. 23 to secretly eavesdrop on a conversation between Cha and an acquaintance.

She allegedly attempted a second wiretap on Aug. 29, when Cha visited the same cafe again, by planting another listening device.

A was caught the following day, Aug. 30, while trying to retrieve the device. A 112 emergency call had been placed reporting that someone appeared to be bugging Cha, and responding officers arrested her on the spot.

However, prosecutors determined that the legal requirements for an emergency arrest had not been met, and she was released and is now being investigated without detention.

Police are conducting a forensic examination of A's mobile phone to determine whether any accomplices were involved, while also investigating how she obtained the listening device and the full circumstances of the alleged crime.