Anger in S Korea over workplace harassment
A STRING of workplace sexual harassment exposés in South Korea in recent weeks has triggered angry calls for boycotts of the companies involved, among them a Hyundai subsidiary.
It has also led the government to toughen penalties for offences.
The controversy began when a 25-year-old woman put up a post on November 3 about how she had been secretly filmed, sexually assaulted and raped by three colleagues soon after working at Hanssem, the country’s biggest furniture maker.
She also accused the company, known for its women-friendly policies, of covering up the incidents after she reported them, instead of investigating them.
Her case shocked the country and sparked a fierce backlash, forcing Hanssem Chairman Choi Yang-ha to make a public apology the next day. He also promised a thorough investigation into the woman’s case.
Since then, more women have come forward with their stories.
A woman claimed a former colleague raped her in May while she was working at Hyundai Motor’s financial arm Hyundai Card.
Newly hired nurses at Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital alleged they were made to dance in skimpy outfits at work-related events.
On November 9, the South Korean Parliament passed a revised law on gender equality to mete out harsher penalties. Companies that fail to pro- vide anti-sexual harassment training can be fined up to 5 million won ($4,600), up from 3 million won.
Those found guilty of covering up offences face a maximum fine of 30 million won, instead of 20 million won. The Labour Ministry and Gender Equality Ministry on Tuesday announced tougher penalties for workplace sexual harassment, but did not give details.
They also promised to launch a public campaign to encourage victims to speak up, and raise awareness about how they can report sexual harassment cases.
The National Human Rights Commission, which received 203 sexual violence cases last year and helped resolve 173 of them, said it would launch a special investigation into workplace sexual harassment.
The number of reports made to the Labour Ministry has shot up in recent years, from 249 cases in 2012 to 556 last year. There are already 2,190 so far this year, but only nine suspects have been indicted.
In the US, allegations made against Hollywood film mogul Harvey Weinstein last month brought to light the issue of workplace sexual harassment. Several other media and entertainment figures and politicians have since been implicated .
In South Korea, a sexual harassment charge carries a fine of up to 15 million won or 10 years’ jail. But experts say awareness about what constitutes a sexual harassment offence is still low in this patriarchal society. A survey by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family last year showed that 78 percent of victims chose to keep mum as they did not think anything could be done to help them.
Seoul National University law professor Lee Jae-min believes there is “still room for Korea to grow” in terms of protecting victims, noting the problem lies in the male-dominated culture in the workplace.
Elly Lee, 33, who works in a major hospital in Seoul, recounted a case last year involving a senior surgeon who tried twice to grope and kiss a nurse after he got drunk at a team dinner. When the nurse reported it to her boss, she was told not to blow up the matter. She resigned soon after, said Lee.
“I feel so angry and upset every time I hear about these cases. It’s because women have such a low status in our society,” she said.
Professor Lee noted that the law can protect victims only if they come forward. “Hopefully, more changes can take place so more victims can be encouraged to speak up, and more criminals can be punished.”
Women tell of rape and humiliation in online posts:
NOVEMBER 3
A young female employee at furniture maker Hanssem put up an anonymous post alleging that she was secretly filmed in the bathroom by a male colleague, and also raped by her supervisor after a team dinner in January.
The 25-year-old woman claimed she was told to hush up the matter after she reported it to the human resource department. One of its managers tried to sexually harass her.
She then received a pay cut and disciplinary action, and went on two months’ leave in September.
She made her story public as she felt anxious after returning to work on November 2. Hanssem Chairman Choi Yang-ha apologised on November 4.
NOVEMBER 4
A contract worker at Hyundai Card, emboldened after reading about the Hanssem case, accused a director in her team of raping her after a company dinner in May.
She claimed in an online post that she reported it to the company, but was told to keep it as a “private matter between two people in a relationship”.
Hyundai Card refuted the allegations on November 6, insisting in a statement that internal investigations have found the man not guilty.
NOVEMBER 10
A nurse from Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital wrote online that newly hired nurses like her were forced to dance in skimpy outfits and make seductive gestures in front of high-ranking officials at a sports event last month. Another nurse said some of them felt humiliated but were told not to make a big deal out of it. The hospital’s owner, Il-song Foundation, has said it will prevent similar incidents from happening in the future.