"Slice potatoes to 2mm, not too sweet or salty"... Abuse toward Gwanjeo chef continues

Consul General's Wife: "Suggest Ideas for Dinner Side Dishes"
Frequently Instructs Chef on Daily Meals Beyond Official Duties
"Continuous Harm Due to Poor Contract Terms"

File photo. Abusive behavior towards residence chefs working at embassies or consulates abroad continues unabated. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Abuse of power against residence chefs working at overseas embassies or consulates continues unabated. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' work guidelines, residence chefs are not allowed to prepare food outside of official events, but it has been revealed that some diplomatic missions have chefs taking on the daily meal preparation for the ambassador and their family.

Experts point out that the poor contract structure and the unique working environment of overseas missions make it difficult for these chefs to report abuse even when it occurs.

According to a KBS report on the 20th, Mr. A, who worked as a residence chef at a U.S. consulate general last year, revealed that he was frequently instructed to cook everyday meals for the consul general and his family outside of official events.

In a recording released by Mr. A, the consul general's wife makes demanding requests while discussing her food preferences, saying things like, "Come up with some ideas for dinner side dishes," "Did you blanch the broccoli? Don’t blanch it, steam it. It shouldn’t be overcooked or undercooked," and "Make boiled dumplings for lunch... Personally, I don’t like ginger bits."

Mr. A said, "For example, I was asked to slice potatoes 2mm thick so that they neither break nor are too hard, and to make sure they are neither too sweet nor too salty," adding, "(Due to COVID-19) official events were canceled, but since I was still cooking, I felt like I was employed as a housekeeper, and I felt that kind of self-disgust every day."

In response, the consul general's office explained that they had agreed with the chef to prepare daily meals and requested that such tasks be done during break times as much as possible.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs building. / Photo by Yonhap News

This is not the first time a residence chef has experienced abuse. According to a JTBC report on August 11, Mr. B, who worked as a residence chef at the U.S. Consulate General in Los Angeles, suffered continuous verbal abuse from the consul general's wife, Ms. Jo, over the past year. He was also made to prepare kimchi on weekends outside of working hours without proper compensation.

Ms. Jo insulted Mr. B by saying things like, "You can’t even organize or shop properly," and "I feel nauseous just looking at the chef." She also threatened him by raising personnel issues, saying, "The contract is for one year, so you can’t be kicked out. If this were a private restaurant, wouldn’t the owner kick you out? What if they’re in a bad mood?"

To prevent such abuse, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs revised the 'Residence Chef Operation Guidelines' in 2017 to remove daily meal preparation from official duties. However, if the ambassador and the chef agree, the chef may provide daily meals for additional pay outside of their salary. According to the guidelines, chefs can refuse daily meal duties if they do not wish to perform them.

However, according to Ministry of Foreign Affairs job postings, residence chef positions are mostly contracted on a one-year renewable basis. As a result, chefs, who are effectively in a subordinate position, find it difficult to refuse requests from the ambassador or their family.

Experts point out that the poor contract structure and the unique working environment of overseas missions make it difficult for residence chefs to report abuse even when it occurs.

Labor attorney Jo Younghoon (Labor Law Firm Oneul) stated, "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs' work guidelines prohibit preparing daily meals. If there are instructions beyond the appropriate scope of work and the worker experiences physical or mental distress, it constitutes workplace harassment," adding, "Especially since the contract conditions for residence chefs are poor, they are structurally vulnerable to abuse. If such harm continues, a comprehensive review of the operation guidelines will be necessary."

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