Korea Gas Safety Corporation Employee Sentenced to Probation for Following and Harassing Subordinate for 30 Minutes

An employee of the Korea Gas Safety Corporation who made inappropriate physical contact with a subordinate during a company dinner has been sentenced to prison with probation.

Cheongju District Court, Chungju Branch, Judge Kim Yeon-soo of Criminal Division 1 announced that Person A, who was indicted on charges of violation of the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment, etc. of Sexual Crimes (forcible indecent act by abuse of occupational authority), was sentenced to eight months in prison suspended for one year.

Person A, an employee of the Gas Safety Corporation, is accused of sexually harassing a subordinate, Person B, by touching their body while sitting next to them at a company dinner in March 2024.

Investigations showed that even after Person B moved to another seat to express refusal, Person A followed them and continued the forcible indecent act by abuse of authority for about 30 minutes.

During the trial, Person A argued that the contact occurred during a conversation at a public company dinner and that there was no intent to commit harassment. However, the court rejected the argument, citing the consistency of the victim's statements.

Judge Kim explained the reasoning behind the sentencing, stating, "The nature of the crime is poor as it involved harassing a subordinate by exploiting the superior position of a department head. Considering that the victim appears to have suffered severe psychological shock from the crime and has petitioned for strict punishment, the sentence was determined accordingly."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.