As it became known that former managers of broadcaster Park Narae submitted a complaint to the Office of Employment and Labor alleging workplace harassment, public reactions surrounding the matter are also divided.
According to a Channel A report on the 2nd, Park Narae's former managers filed a complaint with the Seoul Regional Office of Employment and Labor Gangnam branch on the 18th of last month. The complaint reportedly contained specific allegations of harm said to have occurred during vehicle transfers while on duty.
According to the report, the former managers said, "We were moving while seated in the driver's seat and the front passenger seat, and Park Narae engaged in a specific act with a man who was riding in the back seat," and "because a vehicle is a confined space, we could not avoid the situation or leave our seats, and she used her position as the employer to force us to visually and audibly perceive unwanted scenes and sounds," they said. They argue this is not a mere private deviation but workplace harassment using a superior position.
The complaint also reportedly included that "during the act the driver's seat where the manager was seated was repeatedly kicked with a foot" and that "it was a dangerous situation that could have led to a traffic accident."
Public reaction to the revelation is sharply divided. Some have responded, "If this occurred in a vehicle used as a workplace, it is natural that it should be subject to investigation," and "we need to investigate further, but if this is true, there is room to view it as workplace harassment."
On the other hand, others have criticized, "Is it appropriate to expose someone's private life to this extent before a legal judgment?", "the level of the revelations is excessively provocative and offensive," and "revealing private matters without filtering can produce additional harm." In particular, critics say the issue is becoming muddled as claims of work-related harm and exposures of personal life become mixed.
Currently, legal battles between Park Narae and the former managers are underway, ranging from provisional seizure of real estate and claims for damages to criminal complaints and countercomplaints. The former managers are claiming workplace harassment and other allegations, and Park Narae is countering against them on charges of attempted extortion and embezzlement in the course of duties.<
[Photo] OSEN DB, Channel A report video capture
[OSEN]