"The Chairman Picked Fruit at the Orchard"... Another Saemaeul Geumgo Power Abuse Exposed

Workplace Power Abuse 119 "Using Strong Personnel Authority to Order Personal Tasks and Force Drinking Parties"
Government "Ordered Thorough Investigation... Disciplinary Action if Abuse Confirmed"

Amid revelations of gender-discriminatory abuse at a Saemaeul Geumgo in Namwon, Jeonbuk, where female employees were forced to cook rice and wash towels, additional allegations of abuse have emerged from Saemaeul Geumgo employees nationwide.
Photo by Kim Hyunjung, CBS Radio's News Show YouTube capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] Another abuse of power allegation has emerged from Saemaeul Geumgo, which previously sparked controversy for ordering female employees to cook meals and perform tasks unrelated to their work.

According to the civic group Workplace Power Abuse 119, on the 18th, it was revealed that the chairman of Saemaeul Geumgo used his strong personnel authority to assign personal errands to employees and force them to attend drinking parties.

The group stated that after a controversy arose at a Saemaeul Geumgo branch in Namwon, Jeonbuk, where only female employees were ordered to cook and wash dishes, additional reports of power abuse have been received from Saemaeul Geumgo employees nationwide.

Whistleblower A said, "The chairman runs an orchard and demands employees to pick fruit on weekends," adding, "Employees are afraid of personnel disadvantages if they do not go, so they end up going to the orchard."

Whistleblower B, who worked overtime folding wedding invitations for the chairman’s children, explained, "There are serious abuses such as favoritism in promotions and leave usage for relatives, sexual harassment of regular employees, restrictions on leave usage, exclusion of employees on parental leave from promotions, and forced cleaning of restrooms."

There were also cases of forcing female employees to drink alcohol and verbal abuse. Whistleblower C said, "We were semi-forced to go on a workshop to Jeju Island, where we drank alcohol for three days straight without any special programs," adding, "Female employees who did not want to drink were forced to drink, and those preparing to sleep at night were called out to attend drinking parties."

Whistleblower D said, "The chairman and the managing director shout loudly and scold in customer-filled halls, speak informally, and call me 'that person' despite having proper titles," adding, "They ignore greetings and disregard me."

Workplace Power Abuse 119 urged the Saemaeul Geumgo Central Association to urgently implement measures including ▲anonymous nationwide surveys of 1,300 Saemaeul Geumgo branches ▲small-scale workplace abuse prevention education for Saemaeul Geumgo chairmen ▲operation of special investigation teams and special reporting periods for workplace abuse.

Meanwhile, as allegations of abuse at Saemaeul Geumgo continue to surface, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the supervisory authority, announced on the 19th that it has ordered a thorough investigation by the Saemaeul Geumgo Central Association. The ministry plans to strictly discipline those involved if the abuse is confirmed.