S. Korean court upholds pay cut for manager who told ‘pretty employee’ to sit next to boss

A Seoul court has upheld a manager's one-month pay cut, ruling that his comment telling a female employee the "pretty one" should sit next to the company president constituted workplace sexual harassment. The decision came in a lawsuit filed by the manager seeking to overturn a National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) ruling.

The manager, who was the planning director at a dance company run by an arts foundation, was initially disciplined for sexual harassment and workplace bullying. The foundation also cited comments about reduced childcare hours and an incident where he shouted at a subordinate. However, the regional labor relations commission later removed these other incidents from the grounds for punishment, finding the seating remark alone justified the pay cut.

The manager appealed, arguing that calling someone "pretty" was not sexual harassment and denied any sexual motivation or intent to judge the employee by her appearance. He claimed the comment was meant as a joke to ease awkwardness during a team lunch with the president.

The court rejected his defense, stating the remark went beyond a casual compliment. It linked the employee's appearance to her seating arrangement, potentially implying she had to follow the instruction due to her looks. The court further noted that the comment judged and objectified the employee based on her appearance, potentially causing her sexual humiliation or discomfort.