[2022 National Audit] "Sexual Harassment Victim Transferred" Saemaeul Geumgo Faces Controversy Again

[Asia Economy Reporter Bu Aeri] The workplace harassment incident at Saemaeul Geumgo resurfaced again on the 6th during the National Assembly Environment and Labor Committee’s audit of the Ministry of Employment and Labor. Minister Lee Jeong-sik of the Ministry of Employment and Labor announced that measures to address the issue will be prepared.

During the audit held that afternoon, Mr. A, an employee of a Saemaeul Geumgo branch in Gyeonggi Province, appeared as a witness and testified about workplace harassment and sexual harassment incidents. According to Mr. A, after being sexually harassed by a director three years ago and demanding punishment, Saemaeul Geumgo instead made Mr. A sign a pledge not to raise the issue and subjected him to an unfair transfer.

Mr. A stated that he reported the workplace harassment and provided detailed responses through oral and written statements, but no changes occurred. After becoming a witness in the National Assembly audit, he claimed that the Saemaeul Geumgo Central Association only pretended to investigate the incident.

Mr. A said, "Although the abnormal behavior of Saemaeul Geumgo is being revealed, only a very small number of cases have come to light, and this is just the tip of the iceberg. Even looking at cases from other branches, if you meet the wrong chairman, it is very difficult for workers under them to be protected, and a culture of urging not to escalate problems is rampant." He urged, "A detailed audit by an investigative team including experts should be conducted, and not only the Ministry of the Interior and Safety but also the Minister of Employment and Labor and the Environment and Labor Committee should faithfully implement improvement measures so that Saemaeul Geumgo workers do not suffer from workplace harassment."

Park Cha-hoon, president of the Saemaeul Geumgo Central Association, also appeared as a witness that day and said, "I apologize for the unfortunate incident that occurred," adding, "We will devote ourselves to preventing the recurrence of workplace power abuse or sexual harassment through education for employees and chairpersons."

Assembly member Lee Su-jin urged Minister Lee to prepare joint countermeasures that day, and the minister responded that he would do so.

Meanwhile, recently at the Dongnamwon Saemaeul Geumgo, a controversy arose over workplace power abuse involving ordering a female employee to cook rice and do laundry. In response, the Ministry of Employment and Labor conducted a special labor inspection and imposed fines and legal actions.