"Forced Year-End Party Dance Practice"... Ministry of Employment Begins Special Supervision of E-Land World

The 5th Special Labor Inspection of the Year

The authorities will conduct a special labor inspection on E-Land World, which has been reported to have forced employees to practice dancing for the company’s year-end party, raising suspicions of workplace harassment.

On the 22nd, the Ministry of Employment and Labor announced that it would form a special labor inspection team at the Seoul Gwanak Regional Employment and Labor Office to begin an on-site inspection of E-Land World. E-Land World is a holding company under the E-Land Group, which operates New Core Outlet, NC Department Store, and the fashion brand SPAO.

Earlier, JTBC reported that E-Land World mobilized hundreds of employees every year for a group performance at the year-end party. To prepare, employees practiced dancing during work hours and worked overtime to catch up on delayed tasks. E-Land World employees were required to practice synchronized dance moves such as the fan dance or the "E-Land hand gestures," which demanded attention to finger angles. Additionally, it was revealed that when the group chairman visited a store, employees had to organize the store overnight and re-iron clothes starting two days prior.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor conducts special labor inspections on companies that cause social controversy, such as workplace harassment allegations. This year’s special labor inspection is the fifth, following previous inspections on Jangsu Nonghyup, where a worker in their 30s took extreme measures in January, as well as The K-Tech, Test Tech, and Sunjeong Livestock Cooperative, all of which underwent special inspections for workplace harassment.

A worker in their 30s at Jangsu Nonghyup, referred to as Mr. A, suffered workplace harassment from multiple superiors. The superiors frequently made disparaging remarks and even demanded that Mr. A purchase a king crab worth 275,000 won. Ultimately, Mr. A took extreme measures near the Nonghyup office just three months after getting married. Following this, the Ministry of Employment and Labor conducted a special labor inspection of Jangsu Nonghyup, confirming a total of 15 violations of labor-related laws, filing criminal charges for six cases, and imposing fines totaling 67.7 million won.

The K-Tech faced issues due to the founder’s habitual physical and verbal abuse, Test Tech was inspected for managers’ use of abusive language, and Sunjeong Livestock Cooperative was inspected after the chairman was reported to have hit an employee with a shoe.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor stated, "This special labor inspection is conducted based on the principle of 'no exceptions for special inspections' for companies that cause social controversy such as workplace harassment." The ministry plans to thoroughly check for violations of labor laws throughout the workplace and strictly respond to illegal acts by employers, including punishment if violations are found.

Minister of Employment and Labor Lee Jeong-sik said, "Workplace harassment that infringes on workers’ basic human rights cannot be tolerated for any reason," and instructed that the inspections be conducted strictly and thoroughly.

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