"My Husband Went to the Han River Every Night"... Private Investigator Reveals Hidden Stories Behind Running Clubs

8-Year Private Investigator Shares Case Details
Three Women Involved with One Man at Han River Running Group
"Intense Workouts Break Down Boundaries"

A private detective’s account of an investigation has drawn attention after it revealed that a man who regularly attended a nighttime running group along the Han River was engaged in inappropriate relationships with several female members of the same group.

Mr. Minho Woo, who has worked as a private detective for eight years, appeared on the YouTube channel "Jaembang TV" to introduce cases he handled. YouTube

According to the YouTube channel "Jaembang TV" on September 7, a video was uploaded to the channel on September 1 dealing with the inner realities of fitness clubs. In the video, Minho Woo, who has worked as a private detective for eight years, appeared and introduced cases he had handled.

8-Year Private Investigator: "Intense workouts break down boundaries"

Mr. Woo said, "Upon receiving the request and starting the investigation, I discovered that the husband was attending a running group along the Han River every night and was having inappropriate relationships with other members." The detective team first identified the nighttime running group along the Han River and then tracked the participants' movements for about a week. During this process, Mr. Woo explained they confirmed that the man was meeting three different female members of the group separately.

Mr. Woo claimed, "After each gathering, the man would call out the women individually and take them to his home," and added, "The victimized women were completely unaware of each other’s existence."

He pointed to the shared experience of strenuous exercise as the reason such incidents occur within sports groups. Mr. Woo said, "When men and women participate together in high-intensity workouts, such as hiking or running, and look after each other, their boundaries often break down." Referring to the recent running craze, he added, "I believe there are many healthy communities, but as running continues to make headlines, the number of these groups will likely keep increasing—just my personal opinion."

Another case Mr. Woo introduced started at a gym. He said, "One male client discovered on his wife’s laptop a travel itinerary to Jeju Island and flight bookings made with her gym trainer, and requested an investigation." He added, "By tracking their movements and accommodations for a week, we secured evidence that could be used for legal action."

However, the cases presented in the video were based solely on Mr. Woo’s personal investigation experience. The opinions of the groups or individuals involved have not been verified.

Mr. Woo emphasized that caution is needed even when using a private investigation agency. Since some agencies may request additional fees or a success fee beyond what was initially agreed, he stressed the importance of specifying the investigation scope, duration, onsite expenses, and conditions for extra charges in detail in the contract prior to commissioning an investigation.

'Detective' title permitted since 2020... 135 related certifications

The private investigation business was legalized in 2020 with the revision of the Credit Information Act. With the ban on using the title “detective” and related business lifted, the market has expanded. According to an analysis last month by The Seoul Economic Daily of the Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education & Training’s Private Qualification Information Service (PQI), there are currently 135 registered private investigation certifications in Korea, up more than eightfold from 16 in 2020.

However, there is still no dedicated law regulating the private investigation industry, nor is there a nationally certified qualification system in place. The scope of permitted investigative activities is defined by relevant laws such as the Personal Information Protection Act and the Protection of Communications Secrets Act. Clients who request illegal location tracking or unauthorized collection of personal information may, in some cases, be subject to criminal liability as accomplices or accessories.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.