Employee making breathing sounds by calling female staff every dawn... Ministry of Employment calls it a "minor mistake"

A male employee of the Ministry of Employment and Labor was found to have called female colleagues early in the morning, causing them to feel sexual humiliation. The photo is unrelated to the article. [Image source=Pixabay]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] The Ministry of Employment and Labor, which manages and supervises sexual issues in the workplace, has been revealed to have issued a lenient punishment for sexual harassment committed by one of its own employees.

According to an SBS report on the 27th, a male employee of the Ministry, Mr. A, made phone calls to five female colleagues late at night starting from January 2019, causing them to feel sexual humiliation.

Mr. A made calls with caller ID blocked, and when the recipients answered, he remained silent and only breathed heavily.

One of the victims reportedly received such calls 16 times over five months.

Mr. A was caught by the police following a report from the victims and was eventually referred to a disciplinary committee.

The Ministry held a separate advisory committee to determine whether the behavior constituted sexual harassment. Among six advisory members, five judged that "the women felt enough fear and sexual humiliation" and considered Mr. A's actions as sexual harassment.

However, the Ministry itself judged Mr. A's behavior as a minor mistake and imposed a light penalty of a three-month salary reduction.

Experts pointed out that Mr. A's actions were deliberate and that a severe punishment such as dismissal or higher should have been imposed.

Attorney Lee Ji-eun said in an interview with SBS, "The Ministry of Employment and Labor should be the department that takes the lead on sexual harassment and sexual crimes," adding, "If their own disciplinary decisions are this lenient, how can the public accept it?"

Meanwhile, Mr. A is reported to have expressed remorse but claimed there was no sexual intent and that the disciplinary action was too severe.

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