A high-ranking executive at a major corporation has been ordered to pay compensation after making inappropriate remarks to a new employee about dating a colleague who is 20 years older.
The incident has been deemed as sexual harassment within the workplace.
The incident involves a newly hired employee, Mr.
A, who had been working at the company for four months.
In 2021, during a lunch gathering with his superiors, an uncomfortable conversation unfolded.
One of the executives, Mr.
B, asked Mr.
A where he lived, which quickly turned into an inappropriate discussion.
Upon learning Mr.
A’s place of residence, Mr.
B, who is significantly older than him, commented that another male colleague also lived in the same area and insinuated that the two would be a good match.
Throughout the lunch, Mr.
B continued making such remarks, even suggesting that both Mr.
A and the other colleague shared a liking for chicken, implying further compatibility.
Despite Mr.
A’s attempts to politely express his discomfort and disinterest, Mr.
B persisted, stating that his friend had a lot of money but advising against pursuing a relationship.
The court ruling clearly identified Mr.
B’s remarks as blatant workplace sexual harassment, as he had exploited his position to subject Mr.
A to sexual humiliation or revulsion.
The court emphasized that sexual harassment does not necessarily require explicit sexual motivation or intent to be established.
It stated that examples such as causing sexual humiliation or revulsion can serve as criteria for determining sexual harassment, regardless of the presence of sexual motives.
The defense’s argument that the remarks were merely jokes among single male colleagues and not intended to be lewd was rejected.
The court also raised doubts about whether the company had genuinely and sufficiently apologized for the incident, taking into consideration the three-day disciplinary action imposed on Mr.
B by the company.
Considering these factors, the court ordered the payment of 3 million KRW (approximately $2,500) as compensation to Mr.
A.
Please note that the source of this news article is Newbler.
