Politics · South Korea · 2 hrs ago
Seoul court upholds pay cut for district office manager over harassment
A Seoul district office manager was found to have harassed staff through repeated remarks that put pressure on them.
The manager told an employee seeking leave to care for a child to have the child looked after by her husband.
He also dismissed an employee’s attempt to explain a work matter and questioned another employee’s arrival time despite no attendance problem.
The manager said the comments were made while correcting work issues, but the court found they went beyond proper work instructions and could make the workplace feel oppressive.
It said the childcare remark could make it harder to take legitimate leave and intruded into the employee’s personal life.
The court upheld the manager’s pay-cut discipline, finding it was not excessive given the public interest in preventing workplace harassment in public service.
A Seoul court upheld a pay cut imposed on a district office manager for workplace harassment.
The manager had made remarks to staff, including telling an employee seeking leave for childcare to have her husband watch the child.
The court found the remarks exceeded appropriate work-related conduct and created pressure for employees.
It said the disciplinary measure was not excessive given the public interest in preventing workplace harassment in public service.
- Who
- A district office manager identified as A.
- What
- The Seoul Administrative Court rejected A’s lawsuit seeking to cancel a pay cut imposed for workplace harassment.
- When
- The court ruled recently, according to a report published on November 1, 2026.
- Where
- The Seoul Administrative Court; A worked at a district office in Seoul.
- Why
- The court found A’s remarks amounted to workplace harassment and said the pay cut was not excessive.
District office manager A
Seoul Administrative Court
Conduct
District office manager A
A said the remarks were made while correcting repeated failures to follow instructions and manage work, and were ordinary conversation.
Seoul Administrative Court
The court found the remarks amounted to workplace harassment and exceeded appropriate work-related conduct.
Discipline
District office manager A
A argued the pay cut was unjustified.
Seoul Administrative Court
The court said the pay cut was not excessive given the public interest in preventing workplace harassment.
A made remarks to staff, including questioning an employee’s arrival time and telling an employee seeking childcare leave to have her husband watch the child.
A received a pay cut for workplace harassment and filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn the penalty.
The Seoul Administrative Court ruled against A and upheld the pay cut.
- Court
- Seoul Administrative Court, Administrative Division 12
- Penalty
- Pay cut
- Employee’s leave
- Annual leave sought for childcare
- Manager’s identity
- Identified as A
- Report date
- November 1, 2026
1 source
What people are saying
The remark telling the employee not to explain to me was not a work instruction but a rebuke of the employee’s manner of speaking that blocked reporting or explanation, and it exceeded the appropriate scope of work.
The remark telling the employee to have her husband watch the child made it difficult to use legitimate leave and was an instruction about personal life, not work.
It was merely ordinary conversation made while, as a department head, I was asking for corrections to repeated failures by subordinates to follow instructions and shortcomings in work management.