FUKUOKA (TR) – A male Japanese crew member aboard a ferry connecting Japan and South Korea is suspected of sneaking into a female staff member’s room without permission.
The crew member also seems to have rummaged through the clothing of the woman, who was later displeased by the lack of response by the ship’s operator, reports Nippon News Network (Aug. 27).
The New Camellia is a large passenger ship that connects Fukuoka City and Busan, South Korea.
According to Camellia Line, the vessel’s operating company, the incident occurred when the ship arrived at Busan Port after a voyage of about 200 kilometers from Hakata Port in Fukuoka on July 30.
Upon arrival, the Japanese male crew member, aged in his 30s, “entered a female staff member’s cabin without authorization,” the company said.
Underwear drawer found open
South Korean media further reported that the female staff member, also aged in her 30s, said that the incident took place after she returned to her room to prepare to disembark.
There, she found a door, which she thought she had closed, to be open. Equally strange, her underwear drawer was also open.
Then, she pulled back the curtains of her bed to find…the male crew member there hiding.
“Concerned about the impact on operations”
The male crew member is a first engineer. During subsequent questioning by the captain, he admitted to the allegations and resigned the following day.
According to South Korean media, the female staff member claims that she requested the captain and others to report the incident to the police, but this request was refused.
Regarding this refusal, Camellia Line responded by saying, “The captain, concerned about the impact on operations, asked the woman to refrain from reporting the incident.”
