Verbal Abuse and Insults Toward COVID-19 Screening Clinic Staff... 8.2 Million Won Compensation Ruling

Father and son fined 2 million won for obstructing work and 8.2 million won in damages after using abusive language over mask-wearing request

A father and son who verbally abused a worker requesting mask-wearing at a COVID-19 screening clinic were ordered to pay 8.2 million KRW in damages and consolation money.

On the 3rd, Yonhap News, citing the Korea Legal Aid Corporation, reported, "Presiding Judge Jeon Ki-hong of the Uijeongbu District Court Goyang Branch ruled in a damages lawsuit filed by A, the head of the screening clinic operations team, against the father and son B and C, ordering B and others to pay A 8.2 million KRW."

(This photo is not directly related to the article) / Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

In February 2023, A was working as the head of the screening clinic operations team at a public health center in Gyeonggi Province, entrusted with collecting COVID-19 PCR test samples. At that time, A noticed two men visiting the clinic were not wearing masks and requested them to wear masks.

In response, the two men hurled insults and verbal abuse at A. Man B said, "Who are you, you XXX," and verbally abused A with phrases such as "Are you the team leader? Call the head of the health center," and "You need to be a person before being a public official." B’s son, C, also joined in, verbally abusing and insulting A.

The disturbance lasted about 30 minutes. At the time, citizens were visiting the screening clinic to receive PCR tests, and staff members stopped testing to intervene. However, despite the arrival of police officers, the verbal abuse did not cease.

Eventually, the father and son B were summarily indicted for obstruction of business and each fined 2 million KRW.

Subsequently, A sought help from the Korea Legal Aid Corporation and filed a lawsuit to receive damages including consolation money. A was shocked and found it difficult to continue working at the screening clinic due to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression, leading to medical leave. A claimed about 23 million KRW for lost income, medical expenses, and consolation money.

The father and son B argued in court that "the screening clinic work, entrusted to the private sector, cannot be considered official administrative duties, and therefore B’s actions are not illegal." They also claimed, "A has a pre-existing mental condition and is unfit for the job."

In response, the Korea Legal Aid Corporation stated, "B and others are causing secondary harm by falsely alleging mental illness," and appealed, "As there are public officials who have taken extreme measures due to abuse, please punish them severely."

The court ruled in favor of A. The court ordered B and others to jointly pay A a total of 8.2 million KRW, including 5 million KRW in consolation money.

Na Young-hyun, a public interest attorney at the Korea Legal Aid Corporation who represented A in the lawsuit, said, "I hope society respects the human rights of those performing public service duties."

Meanwhile, according to statistics from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, cases of verbal abuse and violence against public officials in civil service offices have been increasing every year. The number of illegal acts committed by civil petitioners rose from 38,054 cases in 2019 to 51,883 cases in 2021, with verbal abuse and insults accounting for 80%, followed by threats, assaults, and sexual harassment. Local governments have been making efforts to develop countermeasures for years, but due to limitations, civil service departments are known to be the most avoided workplaces by public officials.