A well-known dental hospital in southern Seoul has been booked on criminal charges for failing to pay 320 million won in employee wages. It was also found to have used insults such as "retard" and "trash," and was slapped with 18 million won in fines.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) on Feb. 5 announced the results of a special labor inspection of the dental hospital. It booked six cases, including unpaid wages and workplace harassment, and imposed 18 million won in fines for seven cases.
The inspection found the hospital forced employees to give one month's notice before resigning. If they failed to do so, it demanded damages. It sent contents-certified letters seeking damages to 39 former employees and collected 6.69 million won from five of them. It was found to have even pursued payment-order lawsuits against some who left.
After clinic hours, the hospital routinely issued work orders. A total of 106 employees exceeded the limit by working overtime 813 times. It required overtime without prior approval and did not pay allowances, resulting in 320 million won in unpaid wages for 264 employees.
In addition, the hospital hurled insults at employees over work radios, or, when mistakes were made, made them face a wall and scolded them for more than one to two hours. It also routinely engaged in workplace harassment by forcing employees to write about 20 pages of "repetitive copy" self-reflection letters. Assaults against some employees were also confirmed.
After the inspection began, the hospital paid all overdue wages and withdrew its damages claims. It also returned the 6.69 million won it had already received.
Minister Kim Young-hoon of the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) said, "We will take a zero-tolerance approach to assault and harassment," adding, "We will also continue to correct unfair employment contract practices."