Chong, a desperate 29-year-old with a nose for trouble, thought he had everything planned to pull off one of the boldest bank robberies in recent memory.

He successfully stole a handgun and bullets from a private shooting range in northern Seoul after inspecting the site several times days in advance.

He put even more time into studying his target bank, a Kookmin Bank branch in Yoksam-dong, southern Seoul, locating security guards, closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, alarm bells and the private banking center he identified as the weak spot.

Chong said he followed Hwang, a 48-year-old manager of the private banking center, for nearly two weeks to find out where he lived, and where he went to eat. He recited that information to Hwang at the bank with a gun in his hand, later walking off with more than 105 million won in broad daylight.

With all that preparation, Chong didn't expect to be sitting in a police station explaining himself less than 48 hours later.

Chong wore dark sunglasses to cover his face from the CCTV cameras at the bank's entrance and halls. Little did he know that the bank had many more security cameras, hidden from sight and taking pictures of his face at various angles.

Police were able to e-mail the images of Chong's face to other police stations nationwide and reveal them to the media. Chong had to give himself up.

Chong's case is just another story in a society where roads are laced with security and traffic cameras, and the government recommends drivers attach electronic tags to their cars, which can track their movements.

Although Koreans display a general acceptance of constant surveillance, critics urge authorities to take a harder look at privacy concerns, questioning their ability to manage and control the massive amount of private information gathered through the cameras.

According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, there are more than 7,300 cameras installed in the city for crime surveillance, traffic congestion, speeding and other purposes. Considering that the city has about 10 million taxpayers, this means that there is a camera for every 1,300 of them.

And the number of cameras is expected to grow. The city government earlier this year announced it will spend 28.4 billion won ($29 million) over the coming four years to install two to four CCTV cameras in each of the city's 568 elementary schools to protect students from crime and peer-to-peer violence, and also to monitor traffic.