Fire Lieutenant Accused of Sexual Harassment Against Fellow Firefighter
Also Made Appearance-Demeaning Remarks Referencing Body Proportions
A firefighter was reported to have been subjected to workplace harassment by a team leader at his dispatched duty station. The team leader was found to have bitten the firefighter’s ear and made threatening remarks simply because he could not play jokgu. On the 2nd, JTBC’s ‘Case Manager’ reported the story of Mr. A, a 7-year veteran firefighter belonging to the Ulsan Fire Headquarters, who experienced this while dispatched to the Ulsan 119 Chemical Rescue Center last January.
A firefighter was reported to have been subjected to workplace harassment by their team leader at a dispatched work site. The team leader was found to have bitten the firefighter's ear and made threatening remarks because the firefighter could not play jokgu. [Photo by JTBC 'Sageonbanjang']
Mr. A stated that from early January, when he started his support duty at the site, he was subjected to various appearance-related insults and humiliating remarks from the team leader in his 50s. According to Mr. A, the team leader insulted his appearance by saying to him, “Your head is really huge. From now on, I’ll call you ‘Daeman’” and added, “Do you know what ‘Daeman’ means? It means ‘big head caricature.’” The team leader also criticized Mr. A’s body proportions, saying, “Your overall body proportions aren’t good, so tuck your shirt into your pants.”
On August 30, Mr. A participated in jokgu under the team leader’s orders. Whenever Mr. A missed the ball or made a mistake, the team leader approached, covered his face and shoulders, and bit his ear. The submitted video showed the team leader approaching a teammate at the moment of throwing the ball, covering their face, and pressing closely. When Mr. A said, “It hurts,” the team leader replied, “If you make a mistake, I’ll bite you again. Other employees learned this way too. That’s how you improve quickly.”
Mr. A claimed that the team leader bit his ear five times in front of other employees. He said, “Once, while biting, the team leader’s lips touched my ear,” and added, “Experiencing this in front of teammates made me feel sexually humiliated.” Photos submitted by Mr. A show bite marks on his ear and both ears bruised dark blue. Moreover, the team leader made threatening remarks such as, “Should I cut off your foot?” “Don’t you want to be a firefighter anymore?” and “Should I make you quit being a firefighter?” simply because Mr. A could not play jokgu well.
These behaviors reportedly continued even after jokgu ended. Mr. A appealed, “The team leader should be suspended from his position and receive appropriate punishment,” and said, “I am suffering from anxiety and depression to the extent that I cannot face the team leader.” Ultimately, Mr. A recently filed a complaint against the team leader on charges of injury (sexual harassment), assault, and defamation.
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