[Anchor]

What should a victim do if an alleged perpetrator, who was placed on standby for workplace sexual harassment, suddenly returns to work? This is what happened at the Korea Battery Industry Association, an organization whose members include major domestic battery manufacturers. The association justified the return by citing "management normalization" and "instructions from the association chairman."

Bae Seong-jae reports exclusively.

[Reporter]

"Many employees go to room salons or engage in prostitution. I don't think it matters if they are unmarried."

This is what employee A of the Korea Battery Industry Association heard from a male colleague, B, during a company dinner in June last year.

A female high school student working as a contract employee was also present at the gathering.

It is reported that B continued to engage in inappropriate behavior, including offering alcohol to the high school student.

[A: He kept talking as if the male employees at the association were favorable toward prostitution or room salons. He suddenly started suggesting we go to a karaoke bar...]

Feeling humiliated, A reported the incident to the company. Both an investigation by an external law firm in December last year and a subsequent ruling by the Seoul Regional Employment and Labor Office in January concluded that the sexual misconduct had occurred.

The association excluded B from his duties and placed him on standby. However, last week, A received the shocking news that B would be returning to work.

The association informed A that they were bringing B back, citing a partial acceptance of B's relief application by the Seoul Regional Labor Relations Commission last month, which pointed out delays in the association's disciplinary committee proceedings.

The association explains that this is part of a comprehensive management diagnosis and normalization plan recently finalized by the new leadership, which states, "Withdraw all re-deliberations on sexual misconduct cases and verify the facts through internal investigations."

[Association Executive: It wasn't my decision; the president (chairman) decided it. It means we are going to look at the entire (sexual misconduct) case again.]

[A: When I heard they were re-investigating a case that had already been concluded, I just burst into tears. I felt like the only way this would end is if I left the company.]

[Yoon Ji-young, Representative Attorney at Workplace Gapjil 119: The Labor Relations Commission's ruling acknowledged the facts of the sexual misconduct, so appropriate disciplinary action must be taken, and the victim's opinions must be actively heard during that process.]

In a phone call with SBS, B claimed that the incident and the subsequent measures were unfair. Once SBS began its investigation, the association reversed its position, stating, "We will maintain the standby status and hold a disciplinary committee meeting for the perpetrator."

Reported by Kim Se-kyung and Kim Han-gyeol | Video by Choi Hye-ran | Graphics by Jegal Chan