Risque photos of female Olympians posted online

“Ki Bo-bae’s body shape,” “Nam Hyun-hee’s exposure,” and “Sexy Son Yeon-jae."

These were the terms found when the names of female athletes were searched on an Internet portal Monday. A search for an Olympian seems to always allude to sexual contents. When gymnastics and volleyball were entered in the search window, words such as “an athlete’s sexual exposure” and “a volleyball female player’s sexual exposure” popped up.

Explicit photos of female athletes posted on the Internet have grabbed attention. Several of the postings describe explicit sexual matters about the pictures, drawing criticism that they have gone overboard.

Indecent photos of female athletes competing in the London Summer Olympics are prevalent on the Internet. The pictures were captured at the moment when they showed their bodies or underwear during play, and include many pictures of gymnastic and beach volleyball players who often wear clothes that can expose their bodies.

Certain video clips were edited. A case in point was a video that exposed a water rugby player’s breasts in a match between the U.S. and Spain. Short clips that showed exposure on NBC are widespread on the Internet.

The photo of a Korean gold medalist was recently spread on the Internet in a 2010 picture taken with her shoulders showing for a magazine.

Many Koreans lament this. A 28-year-man who works at a company said, “The behavior of some mindless people is discourteous to the athletes, who made a lot of efforts and promoted the country’s standing away from home.”

Many say those who often release explicit pictures and video clips of famous athletes should be punished. Doing so, however, is tough because most of the photos and video clips are not severe enough to be subject to punishment. Such photo takers can be punished if the athletes pursue the matter in court. Many celebrities, however, do not so and the photo takers remain unpunished.

Experts say the demand for such photos is met with supply from those who want to attract attention with the pictures and hiding behind anonymity.

Gwak Geum-ju, a psychology professor at Seoul National University, said, “This is happening because those who put their catharsis and satisfaction as their top priorities and don`t consider the impact on other people make a strong online presence.”

Seo I-jong, a sociology professor at Seoul National University, said, “Uploading pictures and consuming them like disposables undermine athletes’ emotions and reputation,” adding, “One should think about the social ramifications of uncontrolled actions.”

hparks@donga.com