Gaslighting a Young Female Employee and Forcing Private Meetings... "Can't Be Fired Because of Job Security"

A male public official working at Iksan City Hall in Jeonbuk has been internally exposed for coercing a female public official into a long-term private relationship, sparking controversy.

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On the 14th, a post titled "Please" was uploaded on a public officials' labor union bulletin board, drawing attention. The board is known to be accessible only to union members who have joined the public officials' union. The author, identified as A, who revealed that she was sexually harassed shortly after joining the office, said, "I have been ashamed for a long time and unable to speak out, but I am trying to muster the courage to write a few words," and added, "Although it happened years ago, I still get scared just hearing his name."

A said, "His (superior B’s) targets were mainly young female employees like me who had recently joined," and explained, "At first, he approached me through messenger, asking 'Are you having a hard time?'" She continued, "He gaslit me by saying, 'If you want to get promoted ahead of your peers and become a director, you need to have a mentor like me.' It was a tempting story in a difficult and unfamiliar work environment."

A whistleblowing post uploaded on the online bulletin board of the Public Officials Union in Iksan-si, Jeonbuk.
[Photo by the Public Officials Union bulletin board in Iksan-si, Jeonbuk]

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As time went on, B’s demands became more persistent. A revealed that B called her late at night, shared unpleasant gossip, engaged in physical touching, and pressured her to drink alcohol. He also shared personal stories with A, such as "Please be my movie friend," and "I have a sick child at home, so we sleep in separate rooms." When A showed signs of discomfort, B threatened her by saying, "I will be an obstacle to your public service career."

A concluded her post by saying, "There might be someone who feels uneasy reading this. Please stop approaching female employees like this. I beg you."

Other public officials who read the post responded with comments such as, "I remember when I was a rookie public official and experienced something similar. When I tried to report it, the perpetrator laughed, saying 'I have a steel rice bowl, so I won’t get fired,' which left a trauma," "How many people did he hit on?" and "The problem is that he still hasn’t been fired despite this."

Meanwhile, a survey conducted in September last year by Workplace Gapjil 119 and the Beautiful Foundation showed that 35.2% of female workers responded that they had experienced sexual harassment in the workplace since starting their careers. In particular, 28.4% of female non-regular workers reported experiencing sexual harassment. Regarding the gender of perpetrators, 88.2% of women answered "opposite sex," while 42.1% of men answered "same sex." The highest percentage of sexual harassment perpetrators were "non-executive superiors" at 47.7%, followed by "employers (representatives, executives, management)" at 21.5%.

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