Exclusive: Ministry of Employment and Labor civil servants racked up 148 disciplinary cases since 2021, including sexual harassment and bribery

Civil servants at the Ministry of Employment and Labor accumulated 148 disciplinary cases from 2021 through August this year, according to data submitted to the National Assembly.

The violations ranged from sexual harassment and sexual assault to bribery, drunk driving and the unauthorized use of personal information — a pattern of repeated misconduct inside the very agency responsible for overseeing labor law compliance at workplaces.

An analysis of the ministry's "Disciplinary Status of Affiliated Civil Servants" report submitted to the Assembly on Saturday shows that disciplinary actions by processing date numbered 12 in 2021, 25 in 2022, 36 in 2023, 28 in 2024 and 28 in 2025. Nineteen cases were processed through August this year. The figures reflect the number of disciplinary actions taken, not the number of individuals involved after excluding duplicates.

A total of 20 disciplinary cases explicitly cited sexual harassment as grounds for punishment — six in 2021, two in 2022, three in 2023, six in 2024, one in 2025 and two more confirmed this year. Adding five cases that explicitly cited sexual assault brings the combined total to 25, accounting for 16.9 percent of all disciplinary actions.

On July 22, a Grade-5 civil servant was dismissed for sexual harassment. On Aug. 4, another Grade-5 official received a reprimand for the same offense.

Senior officials were also disciplined. In 2021, a Grade-4 official received a three-month pay cut for making sexually harassing remarks, while another Grade-4 official was demoted for sexual harassment at a drinking gathering. In 2024, one Grade-5 official was suspended for three months for harassing a subordinate and leaving work without authorization, and another Grade-5 official received a three-month pay cut for gapjil, unauthorized absence from duty and sexual harassment.

Disciplinary cases involving sexual assault numbered four in 2023 and one in 2024. Punishments included three-month suspensions in three cases and three-month pay cuts in two. However, the data does not include details of the specific conduct or the rationale behind the severity of each penalty, making direct comparisons of appropriateness difficult.

Other sex-related violations were also recorded. In 2023, a Grade-9 official was removed from office for soliciting sex from a minor, and another Grade-9 official was removed the same year for rape and blackmail. In 2022, a Grade-7 official was dismissed for attempted illegal filming, and in 2024 a Grade-6 official was demoted for illegal filming.

Violations of integrity obligations, including the acceptance of money and entertainment, also continued. In May this year, two Grade-7 civil servants each received reprimands for accepting entertainment, while one Grade-6 official was suspended for three months. In July, a Grade-5 official received a reprimand for accepting money.

In August, a Grade-4 official was suspended for one month for accepting entertainment and improperly interfering in official business, and a Grade-5 official also received a reprimand for accepting entertainment.

Earlier, in 2024, a Grade-4 official was demoted and a Grade-5 official was dismissed for accepting entertainment. Last year, a Grade-5 official was demoted after disciplinary grounds included assaulting an employee from an outside agency, unauthorized absence, gapjil and accepting entertainment.

Cases of unauthorized access to or misuse of personal information were also recorded. On July 22, a Grade-9 official was dismissed on grounds that included the unauthorized use of personal information, intimidation, stalking and drunk driving. Last year, a Grade-6 official received a reprimand for leaking documents containing personal information.

Drunk driving and service violations recurred as well. Last year, a Grade-3 official received a three-month pay cut for drunk driving, and in 2024 a Grade-7 official was demoted for driving without a license after having had it revoked for drunk driving. Other disciplinary grounds included fraudulent claims for overtime pay, unauthorized absence from duty, falsification of documents and improper handling of official duties.