It has come to light that Hanmi Pharmaceutical quietly let a senior executive, identified as the perpetrator of sexual harassment, leave under the guise of "voluntary resignation" instead of disciplining the person. The executive is even said to be moving to competitor Kwangdong Pharmaceutical without any particular sanctions.
The leading domestic drugmaker now faces criticism that it effectively paved a "red-carpet reemployment" path for an executive accused of sexual misconduct.
According to the pharmaceutical industry on the 13th, a report of sexual harassment against Executive A, who oversaw the Paltan Plant, the core of Hanmi Pharmaceutical's production, was filed in December last year.
Through the external public-interest reporting channel "K-Whistle," a detailed report alleged that A made inappropriate physical contact and remarks toward a female employee at a company dinner. K-Whistle is an externally commissioned anonymous reporting system used by corporations and public institutions such as the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL), which receives corruption, irregularities, and sexual misconduct reports and forwards them to the relevant institutions.
The problem lies in Hanmi Pharmaceutical's response after the report was filed. Under the current Equal Employment Opportunity Act, employers are obligated to conduct an immediate investigation and take protective measures for the victim when workplace sexual harassment occurs.
However, Hanmi Pharmaceutical effectively left the situation unattended for nearly two months without any measures or actions. During that time, A conspicuously came to work, presided over meetings, and directed employees.
Not only were the perpetrator and victim not immediately separated, but because A held a superior position as an executive with personnel and evaluation authority, the victim and employees were left defenseless against the possibility of secondary harm. A was a key executive named in Hanmi Pharmaceutical's disclosed business report and was in a position to exert influence over personnel, evaluations, and work assignments at the Paltan Plant.
On Blind, an anonymous office worker community, posts even referred to A as a "yeomisae (a person crazy about women)" and criticized A, but the posts ended up being deleted after being reported, creating a farcical situation.
Posts with comments such as "It was strange that the person suddenly left," and "People who leave for ㅅㅊㅎ tend to come up with a plausible reason that favors them and then leave," were also deleted after being reported.
The company's conclusion amounted not even to a "slap on the wrist," but a "get-out-of-jail-free card." Typically, when an executive's misconduct is confirmed, the CEO can immediately dismiss the person by executive authority.
But Hanmi Pharmaceutical opened an exit for A in the form of "voluntary resignation," which leaves no disciplinary record. As a result, A was reportedly able to conceal the sexual misconduct and move to competitor Kwangdong Pharmaceutical.
A legal expert said, "Physical contact that occurs within a hierarchical structure can create an environment where it is difficult for the victim to clearly express refusal," adding, "Given that position and influence are considered legal factors in the relationship between a superior and a subordinate, the matter needs to be handled with greater gravity."
To ask about the suspicion that A's discipline was swept under the rug and whether it was appropriate, this newspaper asked Hanmi Pharmaceutical's HR team and the Paltan Plant's general affairs office to connect us with A, but all we were told was that they would "return the call," and no one contacted us. We also reached out to Hanmi Pharmaceutical CEO Park Jae-hyun to ask whether the measures taken against the executive were appropriate, but there was no response.
Regarding the controversy, a Hanmi Pharmaceutical public relations official said, "After the case was filed through the external reporting channel (K-Whistle), my understanding is that procedures were followed to handle it fairly," adding, "Given the nature of the reported content, I do not know the details, so I have nothing to explain." Kwangdong Pharmaceutical also did not respond.