[Exclusive] Democratic Party of Korea Also Faces 'Workplace Harassment'... Senior Official Suspended Without Pay for 3 Months

Senior Democratic Party Official Faces Recent Severe Disciplinary Action
Victim Reports Sick Leave, Psychiatric Treatment, and Distress
Inadequate Response After Democratic Party Report Also Under Scrutiny

National Assembly Building (Photo by Yonhap News)

[Asia Economy Reporters Moon Jiwon, Won Dara] It has been confirmed that a senior official of the Democratic Party of Korea recently received a severe disciplinary action from the party for allegations of 'workplace harassment,' including verbal abuse.

According to multiple Democratic Party sources on the 22nd, the party received a report on April 18th that senior official A had been verbally abusing and harassing subordinate employees. After an investigation by the Ethics Inspection Team, a disciplinary decision was recently made to reduce A's salary for three months. According to the Democratic Party's regulations, salary reduction is classified as a severe disciplinary action.

A key Democratic Party official involved in the disciplinary decision process told Asia Economy in a phone interview, "The three-month salary reduction is a confirmed matter," adding, "The investigation was conducted in various ways, and after listening to all testimonies, a comprehensive judgment was made."

A is registered as a Grade 2 senior public official at the National Assembly Policy Research Institute. One of the victimized employees went on sick leave in mid-last month, and another is known to have been receiving psychiatric treatment.

Despite the disciplinary decision, A denies the allegations. He stated, "Even if such incidents happened once or twice, they are things that can occur in everyday life," and added, "I do not know how to engage in 'gapjil' (abuse of power)." He further said, "There may be subjective feelings from the (subordinate employees), but as a superior, I am not obliged to endure all of that," and "Some Seoul City Party employees even wrote petitions, but these were not reflected in the disciplinary committee."

Meanwhile, it has been revealed that the Democratic Party did not immediately separate A and the employees claiming victimization after receiving the report. According to Article 76-2 of the Labor Standards Act, which contains regulations related to workplace harassment, employers must take measures such as changing the workplace or ordering paid leave to protect the victim during the investigation once a report is received.

However, the Democratic Party only ordered the victim to work from home about two weeks after the initial report was received. During the delay in separation measures, one victim reportedly collapsed in a National Assembly meeting room due to stress from workplace harassment, requiring an ambulance dispatch.

A Democratic Party official responded to criticism about the party's inadequate follow-up measures by saying, "It seems the investigation took longer than initially expected," and added, "Ultimately, it was not an ideal situation."