Number of workplace harassment complaints filed [Ministry of Employment and Labor]
Number of workplace harassment complaints filed [Ministry of Employment and Labor]

With workplace harassment reports more than doubling in four years and a string of deaths by suicide among those who had raised complaints, labor, management and government have launched a comprehensive overhaul of the country's anti-harassment regime. Formal social dialogue aimed at strengthening victim protection while curbing misuse of the system got underway Friday.

The Economic, Social and Labor Council said it held the inaugural meeting of the Workplace Harassment System Reform Subcommittee — operating under its Labor Relations System Development Committee — at its conference room in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on Friday, to begin examining problems that have emerged in the system's operation and to identify areas for improvement.

Workplace harassment has become one of the most pressing issues in Korean labor relations. According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor, harassment complaints rose from 7,774 in 2021 to 16,373 last year, more than doubling in four years. The issue gained renewed urgency after a radiographer in her 20s at a hospital in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, died by suicide just over a month after starting work, with workplace harassment allegations surfacing in the aftermath. Police are investigating the circumstances of her death.

The government has already moved to address gaps in the system. A revised workplace harassment prevention and response manual, which the Ministry of Employment and Labor updated July 2, requires that an employer named as a perpetrator be excluded from conducting the internal investigation — a measure designed to prevent so-called self-investigations and ensure procedural fairness.

The subcommittee was established to take a broad look at concerns raised in workplaces since the workplace harassment prohibition system took effect, as well as shortcomings in how the system has been administered. Park Gwi-cheon, a professor at Ewha Womans University School of Law, chairs the panel, which comprises 10 members in total — representatives from labor and management, government officials from the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, and public-interest members.

At Friday's meeting, labor, management and government each shared the key issues they have identified in the system's operation and discussed the direction of future work. The subcommittee plans to focus its deliberations on the effectiveness of victim relief, the independence and fairness of investigation procedures, preventing abuse of the system, and improving workplace culture. Expert consultations, reviews of overseas practices and on-site forums will be held as needed.

"Questions have been raised about whether victims of workplace harassment are receiving effective remedies, while at the same time we are hearing from workplaces that the harassment system itself has become a source of distress," subcommittee chair Park said.

"Workplace harassment is a complex challenge that requires both legal and institutional responses and efforts to improve organizational culture and awareness," she added. "Active cooperation among labor, management and government through social dialogue is needed to develop improvements that will work effectively on the ground."

The Economic, Social and Labor Council plans to draw on the tripartite discussions to develop reform proposals that balance the range of views from workplaces and enhance both the system's effectiveness and its acceptance among those it is meant to serve.


fact0514@heraldcorp.com