[Exclusive] "Don't eat, just work"... Korea Polytechnic University Under Ministry of Employment and Labor Records Highest Number of Disciplinary Actions for Power Harassment and Verbal Abuse in 5 Years

19 Disciplinary Cases Including Requests in the First Half of This Year
Sexual Harassment, Verbal Abuse, and Appointment Interference Uncovered
Management and Ministry of Employment and Labor Face Scrutiny

"If I were the president, I would completely shut down this school."

On the afternoon of March 11 last year, in a guest room at a dormitory on a Korea Polytechnic University campus, Mr. A, who was serving as the director of administration at the time, shouted and cursed at employees, kicking and pounding a washing machine. He did so because he believed the facilities, including the washing machine, were being neglected. Mr. A threatened, "Do I really have to yell like this?" and added, "If this isn't set up today, no one is leaving work."

According to the disciplinary decision document of Korea Polytechnic University for the first half of this year, when a victimized employee requested a department transfer due to a heavy workload, they were told, "If you want to speed up, don't eat and just work. If work is piling up, come in and work on Saturday and Sunday." Getty Images

At Korea Polytechnic University, known as a cradle for nurturing technical talent under the Ministry of Employment and Labor, cases of verbal abuse and workplace power harassment among staff have recently surged. The incidents go beyond simple profanity, including physical threats, sexually inappropriate remarks, and even improper interference in the regular appointment of probationary employees. As of the first half of this year, the number of disciplinary actions against executives and employees at Korea Polytechnic University reached 19, already the highest in the past five years. In the first quarter of this year, 10 disciplinary actions were finalized, and in the second quarter, 4 more were confirmed. Additionally, there are 5 more cases for which disciplinary action has been requested following an audit. The number of disciplinary cases has been on the rise each year: 9 in 2021, 10 in 2022, 12 in 2023, and 14 last year. The number of dismissals, which are considered severe disciplinary actions, rose from zero last year to three in the first half of this year.

According to the disciplinary decision documents for the first half of this year, obtained by Asia Economy through the office of Representative Park Sunghoon of the People Power Party, Mr. A, who had served as a level 2 general staff member until last year, was dismissed from the university for accepting improper hospitality and gifts, workplace power harassment, bullying, and sexual harassment. On August 26 last year, he verbally abused and cursed at an employee for failing to properly carry out a work order. When the victimized employee requested a department transfer due to a heavy workload, Mr. A responded, "If you want to speed up, don't eat and just work. If work is piling up, come in and work on Saturday and Sunday."

The verbal abuse continued even during business trips. On April 29 of the same year, while having lunch at a highway rest stop on the way to the Dongbusan campus, Mr. A cursed at an employee who was on a prolonged phone call about a parking violation, saying, "This is completely XX, you think I'm an idiot." He was upset because the employee had not asked for his understanding before taking the call. Mr. A's power harassment escalated to physical contact with employees. On April 18 of the same year, during an administrative office meeting, when an employee expressed an opinion, Mr. A later called the employee near the incinerator and repeatedly poked the employee's chest and abdomen with his finger. He claimed this gesture meant, "Listen to my opinion, I'm asking you." However, the university's grievance committee judged this incident as sexual harassment. Mr. A repeatedly explained, "I did it to encourage the person to think by placing my hand on their chest," but this was not accepted. He also ordered an employee to buy him cigarettes on the way to work, claiming, "We had a senior-junior relationship and used to buy cigarettes for each other while working."

Inappropriate work-related instructions were also revealed. Around July of the same year, Mr. A instructed the contract manager to make a private contract with a specific company for dormitory supplies (drawers, chairs, blinds) worth about 35 million won. This was despite the fact that the request for dormitory supplies had not been formally submitted by the academic affairs office. He ordered the contract to proceed without following standard procedures or the normal request process.

Mr. B and Mr. C, who worked as operations staff at another campus, were also dismissed after it was revealed that they had repeatedly verbally abused and threatened their colleagues and junior staff for years. On September 5 last year, while handing over duties to probationary employee Mr. D in the campus dormitory boiler room, they criticized Mr. D for speaking informally and accused him of having a bad attitude. Mr. C threatened, "Put your hands together and bow at a 45-degree angle. I can fail you in your probationary evaluation."

On September 30 of the same year, they visited the department head to complain about Mr. D's way of speaking, saying, "Should someone like this be made a regular employee?" The decision to convert a probationary employee to a regular position was not within Mr. B's authority. When Mr. D was appointed as a regular employee in November of the same year, they confronted him in the office, cursed at him, and got in his face. Mr. B frequently mocked Mr. D's manner of speaking, and during a physical altercation, he even shouted in front of students watching from a nearby lounge, "Call the students! XX! Are you even human? You bastard!"

Mr. D was not their only target. On October 18 last year, Mr. C, upset that overtime approval had not been granted, confronted department head Mr. E and demanded a solution, shouting, "If you don't want to listen or do the work, why are you sitting here? Take off your uniform and go home to take care of your kids." Mr. B agreed, saying, "If you don't want to do the job, you shouldn't be here."

Some have analyzed that the lack of management and supervision by the university's leadership has led to a breakdown in discipline at Korea Polytechnic University. Lee Byunghoon, professor emeritus of sociology at Chung-Ang University, stated, "It appears that the overall lack of management and supervision in public institutions during political turmoil has led to a decline in ethical awareness. Regardless of the reasons, the continued occurrence of such incidents means that neither the university's leadership nor the Ministry of Employment and Labor, which is responsible for oversight, can be free from blame."

The university explained that the increase in disciplinary actions in the first half of this year was due to strengthened internal audits aimed at establishing discipline among public officials. A university official said, "Rather than interpreting the increase in disciplinary actions as a sign of problems within the institution, we see it as the result of proactive measures to establish organizational discipline. As part of measures to prevent recurrence, we are conducting enhanced preventive education and will develop strategies to change organizational culture, led by the institution's leadership."