Human Rights Commission: "Even if the perpetrator of 'workplace harassment' is separated, placing them in the basement is a human rights violation"

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-ju] The National Human Rights Commission of Korea has ruled that changing the perpetrator's workplace to a 'basement' to separate the perpetrator and victim in a workplace harassment case is an act that infringes on personal dignity and health rights.

The Human Rights Commission accepted a complaint from a school administrative staff member who claimed that changing their workplace to a basement infringed on their personal dignity and health rights, and on the 12th, recommended to the school's chairman to consider the basic rights of the separated party when handling similar cases.

The complainant was identified as the perpetrator of workplace harassment and was ordered to be separated in terms of workplace location. They filed the complaint arguing that being instructed to move to an unsuitable underground space as their workplace was a human rights violation.

In March of last year, the complainant’s workplace was changed to a space located on the basement first floor of the school’s main building due to allegations of verbally abusing other employees and shifting work responsibilities. They worked there for about five months before being finally dismissed in August of the same year on charges of providing money and goods to the former chairman.

The Human Rights Commission investigated the basement and found that it lacked natural lighting, had poor ventilation, and was near a storage room containing a weed trimmer filled with oil, causing a strong smell of oil.

The school explained, "The space where the complainant worked was previously used as a break room for school bus drivers," adding, "We wanted to provide a better working environment, but it was difficult to offer spaces used by students or teachers, and there was no other space suitable for the complainant to use alone."

However, the Human Rights Commission judged that "such measures should not deviate from the purpose of protecting the victim, nor be used as punitive actions or to humiliate the perpetrator."