South Korea : 794 workplace harassment complains lodged in two months

South Korea’s minister for labour has just published detailed figures on complaints that were lodged between 16 July, when the law prohibiting harassment in the workplace (see article n°11301) came into force, and 19 September. Verbal abuse accounts for 44.5% of the cases reported, followed by wrongful demotion (26.3%) and cases of employees being victims of rumours and isolation (11.7%). The labour ministry says 185 agents are tasked with following up these complaints, with two dedicated welcome and advice centres opening this month. A further six centres are set to open in 2020, the ministry adds.