Blizzard Fined 43 Billion KRW for Internal Gender Discrimination and Sexual Harassment
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] The US gaming giant Activision Blizzard (hereafter Blizzard) was fined over 43 billion won on the 4th (Korean time) for failing to properly respond to illegal acts such as workplace gender discrimination and sexual harassment incidents.
The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced on the same day that Blizzard agreed to pay a $35 million (approximately 43.8 billion won) fine for violating securities laws.
The SEC investigated Blizzard on charges of violating securities laws, stating that the company deliberately concealed illegal acts related to various gender discrimination and sexual harassment issues that occurred within Blizzard in 2021 and failed to provide proper information to investors. As a result, the SEC determined that Blizzard did not establish a system to properly handle employee complaints about internal illegal acts and also violated whistleblower protection regulations.
Blizzard, which agreed to the fine, stated through a spokesperson, "We are pleased to resolve the issue amicably," and announced that it has strengthened procedures for responding to internal illegal acts.
Blizzard is a leading American game company that produced titles such as Call of Duty, StarCraft, and Overwatch. However, in 2021, the company faced its greatest crisis since its founding when sexual harassment of female employees by company executives and a male-dominated workplace culture were revealed.
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In September 2021, the company also agreed to establish a $18 million (22.5 billion won) compensation fund for victims in a lawsuit filed by the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) regarding workplace sexual harassment incidents.
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