The Average Perpetrator Profile of Human Rights Violations: "Male Workplace Superior in His 50s"

Male Workplace Supervisors in Their 50s Are the Typical Perpetrators
79.2% of Victims Remain Silent

In South Korean society, the primary perpetrators of human rights violations are men in their 50s, according to a recent survey. The majority of these incidents were found to occur in the workplace.

According to the "2025 Human Rights Awareness Survey" conducted by the National Human Rights Commission of Korea in July and August of this year, which targeted 17,045 adults aged 19 and older nationwide, 45.2% of the 3,514 respondents who reported experiencing human rights violations in the past year identified the workplace as the location where the violation occurred. This figure is 16.9 percentage points higher than the 28.3% who cited the local community, such as neighbors or hobby groups.

Among victims of human rights violations, 26.6% identified their workplace superior or manager as the perpetrator. This is 1.7 times higher than the second most common group, "neighbors or members of hobby groups" (15.4%). The third most common perpetrators were "customers or consumers" at 8.1%.

In terms of gender, 58.4% of perpetrators were men, while 33.4% were women, indicating a higher prevalence among men.

By age group, those in their 50s accounted for the largest proportion at 34.7%, followed by those aged 60 and older at 28.2%. Together, the middle-aged and elderly accounted for two-thirds of perpetrators. Individuals in their 40s (17.5%), 30s (8.2%), and those in their 20s or younger (2.2%) followed.

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Among those who experienced human rights violations, 79.2% chose to remain silent. Only 13.2% actively opposed or demanded correction, while 7.7% even acquiesced to the violation.

The main reasons given for remaining silent were that they did not consider the violation to be serious or did not know how to respond.

Professor Yoo Eunhye of the Department of Information Sociology at Soongsil University, who presented the research findings at the "2025 National Human Rights Statistics Analysis Forum" the previous day, stated, "The typical perpetrator profile of human rights violations in Korean society is a male workplace superior in his 40s or 50s. It is necessary to develop tailored response strategies for both perpetrators and victims, particularly in the workplace."

Panelist Jang Mihye, Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the Korean Women's Development Institute, pointed out, "Human rights violations in the workplace are a result of hierarchical organizational structures combined with a culture that enforces silence. Even when violations are recognized, many are unable to respond due to a lack of reporting channels, fear of disadvantage, or isolation within the organization."

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