"If You're Overweight, No Female Charm"... Ministry of Employment's Special Labor Inspection on 'Test Tech' Amid Widespread Sexual Harassment

Ministry of Employment Announces Special Labor Inspection Results on TestTech
Total of 6 Labor Law Violations
Majority of Workplace Harassment Experienced by Women and People in Their 20s

As a result of a special labor inspection on 'TestTech,' a semiconductor package substrate testing specialist company, multiple violations of labor-related laws, including workplace harassment, were confirmed. Sexual harassment was rampant, with remarks such as "If you're fat, you have no appeal as a woman."

On the 17th, the Ministry of Employment and Labor announced the results of the special labor inspection on TestTech in Cheongju, Chungbuk, where issues of daily verbal abuse and harassment by on-site managers were raised.

The investigation found a total of 16 violations of labor-related laws, including workplace harassment and sexual harassment. In addition, wages totaling 38 million KRW for overtime, night, and holiday work allowances were unpaid. Numerous other labor law violations were also confirmed, such as exceeding overtime limits, failure to grant spouse childbirth leave, and overtime work imposed on pregnant female workers. Accordingly, seven cases were criminally prosecuted, and nine cases were fined a total of 31 million KRW. Administrative and legal measures will be taken, and to prevent recurrence, the company will be required to submit an organizational culture improvement plan, with implementation status to be monitored.

In particular, the workplace was found to have habitual verbal abuse, insults, and sexual harassment mainly targeting vulnerable workers such as women and youth. In a survey conducted alongside the special inspection (135 respondents out of 187 employees at the headquarters), 77% of respondents reported experiencing workplace harassment. Most women (78.7%) and workers in their 20s (84.2%) reported experiencing workplace harassment.

The investigation confirmed that middle managers repeatedly rubbed female employees' shoulders over several days or deliberately placed their hands on the hands of female employees working with a mouse. There were even incidents where male superiors touched their genitals in places such as the cafeteria stairs or shoe racks.

Verbal sexual harassment, including sexually derogatory remarks and obscene jokes about female employees' appearances, was frequent. Statements that could cause sexual shame were confirmed, such as "If you're fat, you have no appeal as a woman," "You gain weight because you drink a lot," and "I slept with ○○○ yesterday."

Minister of Employment and Labor Lee Jeong-sik said about the inspection results, "Despite many young workers suffering from workplace harassment and sexual harassment, even basic investigations were not conducted," and added, "We will strictly respond to illegal acts by employers to ensure that workers' human rights and labor rights are protected in industrial sites."

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