World · East Asia & Pacific · 1 hr ago
Former worker fined for false claims about ex-employer
A court in Busan fined a former employee 500,000 won for defaming her former employer.
The woman, in her 40s, made the statements to former colleagues at a cafe in November 2024.
She claimed the company’s director watched staff through CCTV and that the boss kept a “death note” of disliked employees.
She also claimed there were listening devices at the workplace and that work logs were used to find fault with staff.
The judge said the CCTV was installed to investigate product problems and the logs were used for checks requested by business clients; the death note and listening devices were not established.
The court said one comment about extra work and unpaid role allowances was not shown to be false or defamatory, and found insufficient evidence for some other claims.
A former employee was fined 500,000 won for spreading false claims about her former employer, a court in Busan ruled.
The woman, in her 40s, was convicted of defamation over remarks made to former colleagues at a cafe in November 2024.
She claimed the company’s president kept a “death note” of disliked workers and that listening devices were installed at the workplace.
The judge said the claims about the death note and listening devices were not established.
The court found other remarks were not proven to be false or defamatory, or that the woman had made them.
- Who
- A woman in her 40s, a former employee.
- What
- She was fined 500,000 won for defamation after making false claims about her former employer.
- When
- She made the remarks on November 7, 2024. The ruling was reported on November 13, 2026.
- Where
- At a cafe in Busan, South Korea.
- Why
- The court found that she had spread false claims that the company president kept a “death note” and that listening devices were installed at the workplace.
Former employee
Busan District Court
Claims about workplace surveillance
Former employee
She said a company director regularly watched employees on CCTV and that listening devices were installed at the workplace.
Busan District Court
The judge said the CCTV was installed to investigate product-related problems and found no listening devices had been installed.
Claim about a “death note
Former employee
She said the president kept a list of employees he disliked.
Busan District Court
The judge found that the claim was not established.
The former employee made remarks about her former employer while speaking with former colleagues at a cafe in Busan.
Yonhap reported that a Busan court had fined her 500,000 won for defamation.
- Fine
- 500,000 won
- Defendant
- Woman in her 40s and former employee
- Remarks made
- November 7, 2024
- Location
- Cafe in Busan, South Korea
- Reported
- November 13, 2026
1 source
What people are saying
CCTV was installed to determine the cause when product-related problems occurred, and the work logs were also used for investigations when problems arose, at the request of business partners.
It was also not established that the president kept a death note or that listening devices were installed at the workplace.
The director regularly watches employees on CCTV.
The president has a death note listing people he dislikes.