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South Korean New Hire Resigns Via KakaoTalk Over 15-Minute Lunch Delay
🇰🇷 South Korea /Culture & Society

South Korean New Hire Resigns Via KakaoTalk Over 15-Minute Lunch Delay

From Dong-A Ilbo · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Outcome reported
  • A South Korean employee demanded to leave 15 minutes early because their lunch break started 15 minutes late.
  • When the request was denied, the employee resigned via KakaoTalk the next day, demanding severance pay.
  • The employee cited a loss of trust in the company due to the perceived breach of the time agreement.

A new employee's unusual demand to leave work early due to a delayed lunch break has sparked debate online. The employee, identified as B, argued that since their lunch started 15 minutes late, they should also leave 15 minutes earlier than the standard 6 p.m. closing time.

The lunch break started 15 minutes late, so it is right to leave 15 minutes early.

— New employee BExplaining their reasoning for wanting to leave work early.

The situation arose when the company's cafeteria experienced a delay in serving lunch, pushing the break from 12 p.m.-1 p.m. to 12:15 p.m.-1:15 p.m. Despite colleague A's explanation that the total break duration remained one hour and work hours were unchanged, B insisted on leaving early.

The lunch break started late, but it was still one hour, just the start time was delayed. Work hours are the same. You should leave at 6 p.m. as usual.

— Colleague ATrying to explain the work hour policy to the new employee.

B's argument was that they had worked an extra 15 minutes in the morning to compensate for the delayed lunch. This reasoning was not accepted by A, leading to a standoff. The following day, B did not report to work and communicated their resignation through KakaoTalk. In the message, B stated that the company's failure to adhere to timekeeping had broken their trust and that they were entitled to severance pay due to the company's "mistake." B also mentioned having recorded the previous day's conversation.

Because the company did not keep its word on time, I have no reason to work here anymore. Since this is a resignation due to the company's fault, please pay my severance. I recorded the conversation yesterday, so don't try to brush this off.

— New employee BIn a KakaoTalk message to their colleague, announcing their resignation and demanding severance pay.

The incident has drawn widespread criticism online, with many finding B's logic and actions unreasonable. Comments ranged from suggesting the company was better off without the employee to questioning the calculation of work hours. Some speculated that B might have been looking for an excuse to leave.

An employee in their seventh month of service is demanding severance pay and resigning via KakaoTalk, then avoiding contact. Where would such a person find work?

— Colleague AExpressing frustration about the employee's behavior.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Dong-A Ilbo in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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