Photo unrelated to article. [Getty Images Bank]
Photo unrelated to article. [Getty Images Bank]

A new employee at a major conglomerate who left a mocking comment targeting a 20-year veteran on the company's anonymous internal forum had his personal information exposed — and ultimately posted an apology under his real name on the same board.

Workplace online communities and industry sources said Wednesday that a post circulating on an online forum described how a new hire in the memory chip division of a large conglomerate was identified after leaving a derisive comment directed at a senior colleague with two decades of experience.

The incident began when a senior-level employee in the foundry division posted a lengthy message on the internal board, sharing an analysis of the company's current situation and calling on colleagues to think together about its future direction. An anonymous employee, identified only as A, responded with the comment: "Stop whining and just quit." The remark immediately drew backlash from other staff.

Colleagues who saw the comment began tracing A's past activity on the internal community platform, and his identity was pinpointed almost instantly.

One employee involved in the search said that among A's previous posts was a request for a new bus route, which provided enough detail to identify him. "We found out he was a memory chip division employee with employee number 26, who joined this year," the employee said. A partially redacted version of his real name — with the middle character replaced by an asterisk — was also found. "Everything was uncovered within an hour of the comment being posted," the employee added.

A's internal messenger ID, phone number, age, hometown, educational background, master's thesis title, personal social media accounts and even the webpage of the university laboratory he belonged to as a student spread rapidly online.

A, who joined the memory chip division earlier this year, had completed his probationary period but had not yet been assigned to active duties. Facing intense criticism, he posted a signed apology on the internal board under his real name and was summoned for a meeting with the human resources team.

오세훈 서울시장 극적 당선…‘안정 속 견제’ 무섭도록 절묘한 민심 [6·3 지선]

오세훈 서울시장 극적 당선…‘안정 속 견제’ 무섭도록 절묘한 민심 [6·3 지선]

제9회 전국동시지방선거에서 더불어민주당이 광역단체장 다수를 확보하며 압승을 거뒀지만, 오세훈 국민의힘 서울시장 후보가 00%의 득표율을 기록하며 5선 고지에 올랐으
https://biz.heraldcorp.com/article/10763435

choigo@heraldcorp.com