Recently, a sexual assault by a superior in Hanssem Company made the headlines and became a hot topic. In November, a text was posted on a community site that included the words, “I suffered from a hidden camera, sexual assault and rape in my company for four days after I entered a company.” News of this incident spread quickly after the woman accused her assailant. According to the National Police Agency and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, sexual assaults by superiors in companies have increased from 341 (2012) to 545 (2016).
  In regard to the increase of sexual assaults, Yang Hong-seok, a lawyer, said in an interview with a broadcasting company, “The biggest reason is the imbalance of power. In addition, the masculine culture in our society influences these crimes too. Therefore, we have to consider the possibility that the power of men is stronger than that of women.” He also said, “Commonly, sexual assaults in companies are committed by a superior, so victims can’t report it easily. Furthermore, assailants do not realize the seriousness of the offense because the punishments for assailants are insufficient.”
  Choi Ye-ji (’14, Dept. of Environmental Engineering) said, “I wonder if Korea can solve this problem. In Korea, there is no system to protect accusers in companies, so I think it is difficult for them to make it public because they are afraid of working in the company after the accusation. If I suffered from a problem like this, I would solve it as quietly as possible because, even if I felt depressed, the company must go on. I hope this problem will be addressed immediately.” She also expressed anxiety about recent situations where victims are exposed to danger.
  Roh Sun-yi, an activist for the Korea Sexual Violence Relief Center, said, “Women might experience sexual assault in companies when they enter the labor market. Recently, many people recognize that reports of such crimes raise many issues, and I think structural changes will occur because of them.” She also said, “Large-scale companies usually have a department for sexual assault. In addition, you can report the assailant to the National Human Rights Commission of Korea because it handles cases of sexual harassment. When direct body contact or molestation has occurred compulsorily, you can call the police. The important thing is to learn how the victim wants to solve the situation because each victim thinks in different ways, so the victim has to choose which method they want to use.”
  According to the Korea Sexual Violence Relief Center, the number of consultations for sexual assault in companies has increased from 300 (2014) to 368 (2016). Activist Roh Sun-yi also said, “Of course, this statistic can be seen as an increase in the number of sexual assaults, but it can also be seen as an increase in the number of people who realize sexual assault is a problem and are reporting it. Sex education for office workers is compelled by law, but there are differences among the companies. Since it has been implemented for about 10 years, more and more female workers can now realize that things they experienced are crimes, and they are struggling to change the system. However, office culture hasn’t kept up with this change. Therefore, the relief center has to educate more effectively about sexual assault. If the reason for sexual assault is not the victim’s carelessness but the attackers’ misconceptions about sexual assault, sex education must be conducted for people in power and it must force workers to reflect on office culture. Also, the classes should be divided into rank and age rather than just grouping all workers together.”

By Jo Se-in l si38@cbnu.ac.kr
Illustraed by Park Han-na