Korail Does Not Discipline Even When Customer Satisfaction Scores Are Manipulated... "Due to Organizational Favoritism"

Last Year’s Controversy Over Systematic Customer Satisfaction Manipulation
Korail Delays Disciplinary Action for 1 Year and 6 Months

[Image source=Yonhap News]

It has been revealed that employees of Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL), who caused controversy last year by systematically manipulating customer satisfaction surveys, have yet to face any disciplinary action.

According to Kim Eun-hye, a member of the National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee from the People Power Party, some of the KORAIL employees involved in the collective manipulation of customer satisfaction scores last year were even prosecuted, but KORAIL has not imposed any significant disciplinary measures.

Earlier last year, a Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport audit uncovered that KORAIL had collectively manipulated the 2019 customer satisfaction survey scores to improve its management evaluation rating.

It is known that employees from 8 out of 12 regional headquarters nationwide participated in the survey while concealing their KORAIL employee status in order to receive higher internal management performance evaluations and thus earn larger bonuses.

A total of 208 people, including KORAIL employees, were involved in this incident, and as a result of investigations into 20 individuals, 12 were prosecuted. However, KORAIL has delayed disciplinary action for one and a half years, citing that the investigation is still ongoing.

According to KORAIL’s personnel regulations, employees who are prosecuted for criminal cases can be suspended from their positions, but the prosecuted employees are reportedly still holding positions such as stationmaster, deputy stationmaster, and team leader.

According to Assemblywoman Kim, the issue of bonus redistribution, which was the root cause of the customer satisfaction manipulation, remains unresolved.

The Ministry of Economy and Finance prohibits bonus redistribution through the "Budget Execution Guidelines for Public Enterprises and Quasi-Governmental Agencies." However, it has been reported that the National Railroad Union sent a notice this year requiring employees to deposit the bonuses they individually received back into the union’s account.

During last year’s national audit, KORAIL responded that it would take appropriate legal measures regarding the "bonus redistribution" issue, but no improvements have been made.

Assemblywoman Kim Eun-hye pointed out, "The organizational leniency that allows customer satisfaction manipulation for bonuses without any disciplinary action is a serious problem," adding, "Such behavior by KORAIL not only dampens the morale of hardworking employees but inevitably harms management as well."

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