Korean Air Internal Sexual Harassment Victim Appeals for Personnel Action and Prevention of Secondary Harm... Calls for a Fact-Finding Investigation

On the morning of the 30th, members of the Korean Public Service and Transport Workers' Union and the Korean Air Employees Solidarity Branch held a press conference in front of the Hanjin Building in Jung-gu, Seoul, urging Chairman Cho Won-tae to personally resolve the sexual violence incident that occurred within Korean Air. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghoon Jeong] Korean Air is facing allegations that it failed to properly address a sexual violence incident involving a direct subordinate of a superior within the company, instead transferring the victim to another department.

The Korean Public Service and Transport Workers' Union, affiliated with the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), stated on the 30th in a press release, "Korean Air did not properly handle the employee sexual violence case," and demanded, "Chairman Cho Won-tae should apologize and conduct a full-scale survey on sexual violence and sexual harassment."

According to the union, Korean Air employee A filed a lawsuit for damages and a complaint with the Labor Office regarding sexual violence allegations that occurred in 2017, and related procedures are underway.

A, who joined Korean Air as a regular employee, was sexually harassed by their department head and then transferred to another department, effectively suffering personnel disadvantages, and subsequently applied for a leave of absence due to deteriorating health. After the leave, A was subjected to an attempted rape by their direct superior and faced further personnel disadvantages, as well as sexual harassment remarks and bullying from surrounding colleagues.

However, the person involved was processed as a resignation without disciplinary action, and no appropriate measures were taken regarding the alleged secondary damage occurring within the workplace, leading the union to pursue legal action.

Currently, A has filed a lawsuit for damages against the perpetrator, their direct superior, and the company, with mediation ongoing. A has also filed a complaint with the Central Regional Employment and Labor Office.

On the same day, A stated in a press release, "I expressed my intention to withdraw the lawsuit on the condition that an investigation into the sexual harassment situation within the organization is conducted and countermeasures are prepared, but the company's representative only repeated that this is not a matter to be decided in court mediation." A added, "Chairman Cho is responsible as the representative of Korean Air. I ask Chairman Cho to consider whether it is ethical for a large corporation like Korean Air to continue litigating against an individual victim employee."

The union delivered the press release to Chairman Cho's side after the press conference.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.