[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Eun-young] A court ruling has upheld the reprimand given to an elementary school principal who sexually harassed staff members multiple times.
According to the legal community on the 13th, the Gwangju District Court's 1st Administrative Division (Presiding Judge Yeom Ki-chang) dismissed the lawsuit filed by public education official A against the Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education seeking to cancel the reprimand.
A is accused of sexually harassing staff members three times while serving as the principal of an elementary school in Gwangju from March 2016 to March 2019.
At a welcome dinner for new staff, A told staff member B, "Call the grade head 'oppa' and pour him a drink." To another staff member C who came to greet him in the principal's office, he said, "In the past, female teachers were not even allowed to wear skirts."
In the teachers' office, he also said to a particular employee, "You don't seem to have a hard time with your work. You should lose weight, but you haven't."
Additionally, during a work meeting in the principal's office, he reportedly said, "There are many pretty girls in our school."
A received a reprimand for these disciplinary reasons (violation of the duty to maintain dignity). Dissatisfied with the disciplinary action, A filed an appeal with the Teachers' Appeal Committee, which was dismissed, leading to the lawsuit.
The court stated, "Some disciplinary reasons do not constitute verbal abuse or inappropriate remarks that disregard the dignity of others or cause mental shock," but added, "However, the remark instructing to call someone 'oppa' while pouring a drink is sufficient to be considered an act causing sexual humiliation or disgust."
Furthermore, the court explained, "As the principal, A bears a stricter duty to maintain dignity than other teachers but made sexually harassing remarks from a superior position toward subordinate teachers. The reprimand, the lowest level of disciplinary action, is reasonable. The public interest in eradicating sexual misconduct among public officials and establishing public service discipline is by no means less significant than the disadvantage A will suffer."
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