Human Rights Commission Dismisses Complaint of Abuse by Seoul National University Cleaning Workers

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] It was recently revealed that the National Human Rights Commission dismissed a complaint last year alleging that a cleaning worker at Seoul National University (SNU) was subjected to power harassment by the dormitory team leader before the worker’s death.

On the 26th, the Human Rights Commission announced that it dismissed the complaint filed in July, which was jointly submitted by over 1,000 colleagues and citizens of the deceased worker. Although the commission acknowledged in its notification that the worker’s human rights had been violated, it stated that since related measures had already been taken by the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the SNU Human Rights Center, further recommendations were difficult. It also judged that no additional remedial actions were necessary, as the perpetrator, the management team leader, had already received a warning disciplinary action.

Previously, a cleaning worker employed at the SNU dormitory was found dead in the break room in June of last year after complaining about excessive workload. It later emerged that before the worker’s death, the management team leader had forced the worker to take a written test and subjected them to power harassment such as dress code inspections, sparking public outrage. The Ministry of Employment and Labor, which conducted an investigation, recognized workplace harassment and issued an improvement order. SNU also took measures such as conducting human rights education for its employees. However, the perpetrator, the management team leader, received only a mild disciplinary warning.

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