"Oppa Will Take Good Care of You"... Public Official Who Committed Suicide After Sexual Harassment, Pleads for Help on Community Forum 4 Years Ago

Former public official Mr. A expressed that defamatory rumors about him were spreading in the workplace after he reported sexual harassment by his superior, sharing the text messages publicly. Photo by Online Community Capture

He posted a screenshot of the text messages on an internet community, lamenting that defamatory rumors about him were circulating. Photo by Internet Community Capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] It has come to light that a former tax office official who recently took her own life at home had, four years ago, appealed for help regarding secondary victimization on an online community after being sexually harassed by her superior, adding to the tragedy.

On the 3rd, a post was shared on an online community that is presumed to have been written by a woman in her 30s, identified as the deceased victim A, reporting the sexual harassment incident that occurred on November 10, 2017. A posted a lengthy message titled "It looks like this will be a long and difficult fight," detailing the circumstances of the harassment and subsequent events at her workplace.

A said, "On the day of the team dinner, we went to a nice Japanese restaurant, and the manager also attended as a form of encouragement," and added, "When we went to a karaoke room afterward, the manager tightly held my hand and said, 'You know I favor you,'."

She continued, "When I tried to pull away, he pressed closer and started touching me, saying, 'Every time I see you, I think of my wife,'" and explained, "Even though I tried to escape several times, he followed me, rubbed my cheek, and said things like 'Oppa will take good care of you' or 'I'll make sure you walk a smooth path.'"

A said she reported the incident to the team leader the next day but was told, "Let’s keep this quiet." She also demanded an apology from the perpetrator, the manager, but was told, "I was just patting your shoulder and arm as encouragement. If you want to sue, go ahead."

A said, "I thought I had no choice but to speak directly to the head of the office, but he was already on the manager’s side," adding, "He kept asking, 'Do you have evidence?' and saying, 'The manager cared about you.' I thought it was meaningless to resolve this internally, so I immediately filed a complaint with the police."

File photo. / Photo by Yonhap News

Afterward, A posted several messages on the same community expressing the secondary victimization she experienced at work. She complained that defamatory text messages about her were circulating in the workplace after she reported the sexual harassment and shared screenshots of them.

The text messages included content criticizing A, such as "That woman (A) is spreading rumors about being a victim, but it’s unconfirmed, she doesn’t even come to the office, and she has 16 prior convictions. The manager is a good person, but he lost weight from emotional distress."

A left her final post in September 2018, titled "A message from a sexual crime victim." She said, "I have practically given up on returning to work, people around me have left me, and I have been repeatedly told, 'Isn't this because you didn’t behave properly?'" She expressed her mental anguish, saying, "I often blamed myself, wondering if I should have just endured it, and I felt suicidal countless times."

She continued, "I didn’t want to write about this case anymore, but the comments on a recent case where someone was wrongly accused of sexual harassment pierced my heart," and said, "Please refrain from remarks like 'You can accuse anyone of sexual crimes just by saying so' or 'Women act like they’re above others.'" She added, "I’m writing this because it’s so painful. This will probably be the last post I leave here."

A ultimately took her own life last month in an apartment in Michuhol-gu, Incheon. The police responded to a report from a cleaning service worker who visited A’s home and recovered her body at the scene. It was found that A had quit her job after the sexual harassment and suffered from depression and psychological anxiety.

The police charged her superior B with sexual harassment under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment, etc. of Sexual Crimes, and sent the case to the prosecution with a recommendation for indictment. In November 2018, the Incheon District Court sentenced B to a fine of 2.5 million won and ordered him to complete 40 hours of sexual violence treatment programs.

Additionally, B was barred from working at child and youth-related institutions for one year. He received a three-month suspension at his workplace and was demoted and transferred to a regional tax office jurisdiction for two years.

※ If you or someone you know is struggling with difficult feelings such as depression, you can receive 24-hour professional counseling through suicide prevention hotlines ☎1577-0199, Hope Phone ☎129, Lifeline ☎1588-9191, and Youth Phone ☎1388.

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