"Shall We Do It Once?" Hospital Director Hands Note to Female Employee... Gangwon Medical Association Launches Investigation

Kneeled and Apologized After Being Refused
Employee Files Report with Police and Ministry of Employment and Labor

A note sent by the hospital director to employee A at a hospital located in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province. Screenshot from Chuncheon MBC YouTube.

It has come to light that an employee who worked for 13 years at a private hospital in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, was sexually harassed by the hospital director. In response, the Gangwon Medical Association has launched an investigation to uncover the facts. Since the employee has filed a complaint, a police investigation is also expected to begin.

On December 31, the Gangwon Medical Association issued a statement, offering an apology and pledging to ascertain the facts. The association said, "We feel a profound sense of responsibility regarding the recent incident at a clinic in Chuncheon reported by the media," and added, "We sincerely offer our condolences to the victim and their family, and we deeply apologize to the residents who have placed their trust in the medical community."

The association continued, "Medical professionals must uphold high ethical standards and moral responsibilities," and explained, "If the reports are true, such actions are absolutely unacceptable. However, before taking appropriate measures, it is important to clearly establish the facts."

They further emphasized, "We will thoroughly investigate the case through a fair and objective review by an expert panel, and will respond in accordance with medical ethics based on the outcome."

The Gangwon Medical Association added, "We will use this incident as an opportunity to establish a culture of mutual respect in the workplace and strengthen member education and self-regulation efforts to prevent similar cases from occurring again. Once again, we deeply apologize to the victim and the residents."

"I'll give you 1 million won, let's do it once"-Handed a note... When refused, kneeled and apologized

Text message sent by the hospital director to employee A at a hospital located in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province. Screenshot from Chuncheon MBC YouTube.

The incident came to light after a tip-off was received by Chuncheon MBC on December 30. The whistleblower, employee A, claimed that on November 28 of last year, the hospital director handed them a note that read, "I'll give you 1 million won, shall we do it once?"-in effect, proposing a sexual relationship.

Employee A stated, "The moment I received the note, I was in shock. My mind went blank, and I looked at the director and said, 'I guess I have to quit, right?'" A added that afterward, the director knelt down and apologized, saying, "I didn't even really like you; just think of it as something I said once."

Employee A further explained that the director then told A's husband, "I'll send you 1 million won, so let's pretend this never happened," and transferred the money. After returning the money to the director, A resigned from the job 18 days later. Subsequently, A reported the incident to the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the police for workplace sexual harassment and insult, stating, "I keep blaming myself, wondering if I did something wrong. My heart keeps pounding whenever I think about it."

The director's legal representative has acknowledged the incident. The representative told Chuncheon MBC, "We did not expect this to become such a serious legal or social issue," and added, "We acknowledge the incident and apologize. We will work to help the victim recover."