"Firefighters Making Lewd Jokes in Group Chat, Saying 'Wish You Made Me Coffee in a Bikini' Face 'Lenient' Punishment Controversy"

Firefighters Share Women's Photos and Engage in Obscene Conversations in Work Group Chat
Expert: "Lack of Gender Sensitivity Within Organization, Must Raise Awareness and Prevent Recurrence"

A group chat room of rescue workers from Incheon Jungbu Fire Station sharing photos of ordinary women and exchanging obscene remarks.
/Photo by YTN Broadcast Screen Capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] It has come to light that firefighters secretly filmed an ordinary woman and shared the photos in a group chat room while exchanging lewd remarks, causing shock. The fire authorities judged the misconduct to be minor and issued a 'warning' without any further disciplinary action.

Criticism has followed that the authorities did not respond strictly to a sexual misconduct case involving public officials who should set an example. Experts emphasized the need for organizations to raise awareness and make efforts to prevent recurrence regarding the lack of gender sensitivity among public officials.

According to a YTN report on the 30th of last month, in March, a photo secretly taken of an ordinary woman was shared in the work group chat room of Team 1 of the 119 Rescue Squad at Incheon Jungbu Fire Station. The photo was taken by Team Leader A, who snapped a picture of the back of a woman sitting in front of him while he was going to take a certification exam and posted it in the chat room.

Some members in the chat room mentioned the woman's real name and exchanged inappropriate remarks. When one member took coffee orders, others said things like "Then I'll have the coffee OO makes," and "OO served it wearing a bikini." Another member reposted the woman's photo and made explicit lewd comments. This was revealed after the spouse of one of the members in the chat room learned of the conversation and reported it to the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission and the National Human Rights Commission.

In response, Incheon Jungbu Fire Station announced on the 31st of last month that three members who participated in the inappropriate conversation were issued warnings for violating the duty to maintain dignity. After an internal investigation, the fire authorities judged the misconduct of these three to be minor and limited the action to this warning without further disciplinary measures.

Fire truck. The photo is not related to any specific expression in the article. / Photo by Yonhap News

Citizens have expressed outrage at the fire authorities' decision. There has been criticism that firefighters, who should set an example for the public, lost trust by making inappropriate remarks such as lewd comments about an ordinary person in a work-related chat room. There were also criticisms that the fire authorities' warning to the perpetrators amounted to a 'light punishment.'

Calls to increase the severity of punishments for sexual misconduct by firefighters were also raised during the recent National Assembly audit. On the 7th of last month, at the Fire Agency audit, Kim Hyungdong, a member of the People Power Party, pointed out that more than half of firefighters who committed sexual misconduct received only minor disciplinary actions and argued that the severity of punishments should be increased.

According to data submitted by the Fire Agency to Representative Kim, from 2016 to June of this year, there were a total of 156 disciplinary cases related to sexual misconduct by firefighters. By year, there were 35 cases in 2016, 21 in 2017, 29 in 2018, 29 in 2019, and 37 last year, showing an annual increase.

The most common type of sexual misconduct was sexual harassment with 70 cases (44.8%). This was followed by sexual harassment (29 cases), prostitution-related offenses (23 cases), illegal filming using cameras (13 cases), sexual assault (7 cases), other inappropriate workplace behaviors (7 cases), public obscenity (4 cases), and distribution of obscene materials (3 cases).

Although sexual misconduct cases increased, the level of disciplinary action remained low. More than half of the total 156 disciplinary cases, 52% (82 cases), were minor punishments such as 'reprimand' (56 cases) and 'salary reduction' (24 cases). Cases classified as major disciplinary actions included 42 suspensions, 15 dismissals, 8 demotions, and 8 terminations.

As a result, some argue that the low level of punishment fails to eradicate sexual misconduct among firefighters. Representative Kim said, "The misconduct of some firefighters not only lowers the morale but also tarnishes the honor of firefighters who are struggling to protect the lives of the people at this very moment," and emphasized, "We need to establish preventive measures to enhance the organization's self-purification ability and apply stricter rules and regulations than the public's expectations for misconduct."

Experts stressed the need to activate organizational education to eradicate sexual misconduct among public officials and improve the lack of gender sensitivity. However, they explained that since this group chat room incident was reported by a third party rather than the victim, formal disciplinary procedures are difficult.

Attorney Lee Eun-ui (Lee Eun-ui Law Office) said, "Because there are areas protected by the constitution such as individual privacy, if the photos shared in the chat room cannot be considered criminal acts, it is difficult to proceed with formal disciplinary procedures. Also, since this case was reported by a third party rather than the victim, it seems that the action was limited to a warning." She added, "However, there is a need for the organization to be vigilant and make efforts to prevent recurrence regarding the lack of gender sensitivity among public officials."

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