"South Korea, 'Gapjil' Returns as Remote Work Ends...Foreign Media Also Focus on K-Workplace Culture"

Earlier, The New York Times Also Mentioned the History of Power Abuse and Assault

Office workers are commuting at the Gwanghwamun Intersection in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Moohnam Moon munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jung-wan] Recent foreign media reports indicate that workplace bullying in Korea is resurging as social distancing measures are eased and employees return to their offices.

On the 4th (local time), CNN reported, "As Korean workers return to their companies, workplace bullying and gapjil are also making a comeback," calling it "a chronic workplace culture in Korea."

CNN spelled '갑질' as 'gapjil' and explained it as "those in power who dominate their subordinates," adding that "it is a long-standing problem especially prevalent in families that dominate Korean corporations and politics."

The report cited a survey commissioned by the civic group 'Workplace Gapjil 119' and the Public Mutual Growth Fund to the polling agency Embrain Public. It showed that the rate of experiencing workplace bullying was 23.5% in March when social distancing was still in place, but rose by 6.1 percentage points to 29.6% in last month's survey.

It also introduced specific cases of workplace bullying, such as feeling threatened by insulting language from superiors or receiving sexually harassing messages from drunken bosses late at night. It explained that women and contract workers are mainly targeted for bullying. The report also mentioned the case of Lee Myung-hee, wife of the late Cho Yang-ho, former chairman of Hanjin Group, who was prosecuted for verbally and physically abusing employees such as housekeepers in a 'staff gapjil assault' incident.

Earlier, The New York Times highlighted Korea's gapjil culture and how workers are coping with the issue last month. The New York Times also spelled gapjil as 'gapjil,' explaining it as a term used when the powerful 'gap' abuse the 'eul' who work for them.

The New York Times reported that in Korea's deeply stratified society, where a person's social status is determined by job, title, and wealth, no one is free from the claws of gapjil. It mentioned cases such as the Korean Air nut rage incident, Hanwha Group Chairman Kim Seung-yeon's retaliatory assault case, and SK family member Choi Cheol-won's baseball bat assault case.

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