Jominho, Chairman of the South-North Hana Foundation, Suspended from Duty... Accused of Employee Sexual Harassment

Jo Min-ho, chairman of the North Korean Defectors Support Foundation (NamBuk Hana Foundation), who is undergoing dismissal procedures on charges of sexual harassment of employees, has been suspended from his duties.

According to the government and the NamBuk Hana Foundation on the 7th, the Ministry of Unification notified the foundation that Jo's duties would be suspended until the disciplinary level is finalized. The Ministry of Unification is the supervisory agency of the NamBuk Hana Foundation.

The Ministry of Unification is reported to have judged that suspension of duties is appropriate even when dismissal procedures are underway, after reviewing precedents for disciplinary actions against heads of public institutions and relevant laws. Following this measure, the duties of the chairman will be acted on by Lee Ju-tae, the foundation's secretary general.

Meanwhile, earlier, the board of directors of the NamBuk Hana Foundation recommended the dismissal of Chairman Jo to the Minister of Unification, who holds personnel authority, based on the investigation results of the Ministry of Unification's Sexual Harassment and Sexual Violence Grievance Review Committee.