Cheeky Crime Wave: 'Moon Girls' Gang Wanted in Seoul

Seoul is currently facing a very unusual crime wave. Police in the South Korean capital are hunting for a gang of women who have become known online as the Moon Girls. However, these criminals are not stealing money or causing damage to property. Instead, their only crime is running into local businesses and exposing their bottoms to shocked staff and customers.

Over the past three weeks, there have been more than fifteen reported incidents in the busy shopping district of Gangnam. The method is always exactly the same. A group of three or four women, wearing dark clothes and thick knitted balaclavas to conceal their faces, suddenly run into a shop or cafe. They quickly pull down their trousers, shout a few words of greeting, and then immediately flee the scene before anyone can call for help.

Ji-hoon, a 45-year-old local convenience store owner, was a recent victim of the gang. He was serving a customer late on a Friday night when the women burst through his front door.

"I honestly thought we were going to be robbed. They had their faces completely covered, so I raised my hands. But then they just turned around, pulled their trousers down, giggled, and ran away. I was completely perplexed. My customer didn't know where to look."

While the internet has found the situation quite funny, local officials are taking the matter seriously. The gang’s actions are causing a massive public nuisance for small business owners who are just trying to serve their regular customers.

Inspector Kim from the Seoul Metropolitan Police explained that they are reviewing hundreds of hours of surveillance footage to try and identify the women. "We understand that this might seem like a harmless prank to some younger people on social media," the inspector told reporters during a morning press briefing. "However, it is causing unnecessary public distress and disrupting local businesses. We are highly motivated to find the people responsible and put a stop to this."

At this stage, the police have no clear motive for the bizarre attacks. Some internet detectives believe it might be a modern art performance, or perhaps a stunt for a popular hidden-camera YouTube channel. Others think it is just a group of bored university friends trying to become notorious online.

Until the Moon Girls are finally caught, shop owners in Seoul are keeping a very close eye on anyone walking through their doors wearing heavy winter hats in the middle of spring.