Agricultural cooperative chairman fined $3,700 for workplace bullying

A chairman of a local agricultural cooperative in Gangwon Province has been fined 5 million won for workplace bullying, the Ministry of Employment and Labor announced. The chairman, identified as 'A', was found to have verbally abused an employee, calling them vulgar names and telling them to "do as I say." He also allegedly slapped the employee on the back of the head.

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Hey you ○○○. Do as I say.

Further allegations include constant monitoring of employees via CCTV, issuing work-related instructions outside of working hours, and assigning personal tasks to staff. These claims were substantiated through an anonymous employee survey conducted by labor inspectors, which revealed consistent testimonies from multiple victims and witnesses.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor has levied the administrative fine and also requested separate disciplinary action from the Gangwon regional headquarters of the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation. The regional federation is set to begin an investigation into the matter on August 10.

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You stupid ○○○.

Separately, the ministry is investigating another official, identified as 'B', for alleged workplace harassment, including excessive work guidance and throwing documents. The ministry has also requested disciplinary action for 'B'. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs has also launched an audit into various allegations surrounding Chairman 'A', including workplace bullying, retaliatory actions, and favoritism towards relatives.

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As a first-term chairman, my strong will to create the best agricultural cooperative led me to focus only on the field, forgetting to protect and respect my most important employees.

Chairman 'A' has denied the allegations, stating he did not bully employees and questioning the objectivity of the complaints. However, he issued an apology acknowledging that his strong desire to build the best cooperative may have led him to neglect employee protection and respect. He promised to prevent recurrence and work towards a stronger, more united cooperative.

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I sincerely apologize to the employees who have been hurt directly or indirectly by this incident. I will strive to ensure that such an incident does not happen again in our cooperative.