A manager at the Korea Professional Golf Association (KPGA) who sexually harassed same-sex subordinates by touching their earlobes and buttocks was sentenced to prison.
On the 15th, the 6th Criminal Division of the Seongnam Branch먹튀검증 of Suwon District Court (Judge Jeong Yeon-ju) sentenced Mr. A, who was indicted on charges of ‘indecent assault by force during work,’ to 6 months in prison and 2 years of probation, and required him to attend 40 hours of sexual violence treatment lectures and report his personal information. Ordered information registration, etc.
It is known that Mr. A has been sexually harassing subordinates of the same gender by stroking their buttocks or caressing their earlobes and making obscene remarks to subordinates of the same gender for several years in offices and restrooms. Manager A, who was in charge of all organizational management work, including personnel and sexual harassment prevention training within the company, was confirmed on the charges after a police and prosecutorial investigation and was sent to trial in February of last year.
In this case, the trial lasted for about 1 year and 7 months, with 4 people who had been molested but did not join the complaint in addition to the 9 accusers were also selected as witnesses and stood in court.
Mr. A, who denied the charges in court, made an argument to the effect that “the statements are exaggerated because the complainants did not raise the issue of sexual harassment until now but filed a complaint after the establishment of the labor union,” but this was not accepted.
The court said, “The manner in which the molestation damage occurred and the words and actions at the time of the molestation are quite similar to each other, and in addition to the victims who complained, many witnesses also stated similar details of the damage,” and “As the defendant claimed, the issue was raised after the establishment of the union.” “Although it appears that the victims are subordinates and must continue to work at the same company as the defendant, it is quite possible that they hesitated to report the damage they suffered at the time of the molestation,” he emphasized.
Additionally, regarding whether the defendant’s actions amounted to indecent assault, the court said, “Touching the buttocks and ears, even if the other person is of the same sex, is an act that can cause shame and disgust unless the relationship was very intimate or was done with mutual consent. The reasons for the first trial sentence were stated, saying, “If we take into account the circumstances in which the molestation occurred, the job relationship between the defendant and the victims, and the words and actions the defendant said and did while contacting the victims, the defendant’s actions constitute an act of molestation.”
Mr. B, a KPGA employee who was one of the victims, said, “When the harassment became public, there was a lot of support for the perpetrator and criticism of the victims. “Although the perpetrator has left the company, we are still very concerned because he remains in the industry,” he said. Employee C expressed his feelings, saying, “We are experiencing great pain due to the frequent occurrence of ‘secondary assaults’ targeting affected employees, but the truth has been proven by the court’s sentence.”
Heo Jun, head of the KPGA union, said, “I hope that this incident will serve as an opportunity for the organizational culture of domestic professional sports organizations to become more mature, and for the human rights of the association’s secretariat employees to be improved.”
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