"Why is a man wearing a skirt?"... KMA Senior Official Who Belittled Female Employee Receives Only a 'Warning'

During a Video Conference, "Is That Person Male or Female?" Remark
After Disciplinary Decision, Reduced to 'Warning' in Reconsideration
"Due to Lax Public Service Discipline and Closed Organizational Culture"

A male senior official affiliated with the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) made derogatory remarks about a female employee's appearance but ultimately was not disciplined.

On the 3rd, SBS reported that a male senior official of the KMA, Mr. A, made insulting remarks to female employee Ms. B. According to the report, on August 4th of last year during a remote video meeting, Mr. A said about Ms. B, "Is that person sitting in the back (Ms. B) a man or a woman?" and added, "I'm curious, so can someone please tell me?" He also clicked his tongue, saying, "Her face looks like a man's, so why is she wearing a skirt?"

Following this, a whistleblower reported to the KMA's anonymous reporting center that they had heard Mr. A make these remarks. When the investigation began, Mr. A denied the statements, saying, "I do not recall saying such things," and tried to evade by claiming, "I did say things like 'Who is that person?' to lighten the mood of the meeting." However, the final audit report prepared by the KMA in May confirmed that "Mr. A did ask, 'Does anyone know if that person is a man or a woman?'" The KMA also stated, "Although it should have been clear from the screen that the victim was female, such a question was asked, implying a negative meaning that the victim's appearance looked masculine," and judged that "this was effectively a derogatory remark about the other person's appearance." Other remarks such as 'face' and 'skirt' were deemed difficult to verify.

During the first audit, the KMA decided to discipline Mr. A, but after a re-examination, the disciplinary level was lowered to a 'warning.' They cited reasons such as "the remarks were not made directly to the victim's face, were not repeated, and Mr. A showed an attitude of remorse." Although a majority of the five external audit advisory committee members recommended maintaining the discipline, this was not reflected.

In response, Park Hong-bae, a member of the National Assembly's Environment and Labor Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea, criticized, "This incident was caused by lax public service discipline and the KMA's closed organizational culture." Mr. A reportedly expressed, "I sincerely apologize for the remarks being perceived as unintended appearance disparagement that could have hurt others."