Article body
An incident involving a 50-year-old employee, A, from the Korea Gas Safety Corporation has occurred, where he sexually harassed a subordinate, B. During a company dinner in March 2024, A touched B's body and continued to follow him for about 30 minutes, despite B's attempts to move away and express his refusal.
Judge Kim Yeon-soo of the Cheongju District Court's Chungju branch sentenced A to 8 months in prison, suspended for 1 year, for violating the Special Act on the Punishment of Sexual Violence Crimes. During the trial, A claimed that the physical contact was accidental and that he had no intent to harass, but the court did not accept his argument, citing the victim's consistent testimony as evidence.
Particularly, A's abuse of his superior position as a department head to harass a subordinate was considered a serious factor. Judge Kim stated that he took into account the significant psychological trauma suffered by the victim and the victim's request for severe punishment when determining the sentence.