By Choi Kyong-ae
The prosecution is investigating a former senior Japanese official at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp.'s Korea branch over allegations that he sexually harassed a female co-worker.
In April, a Japanese manager at the bank's Seoul branch allegedly harassed his Korean female colleague physically in a taxi heading to their separate homes after dining with their co-workers.
The Korean worker, only six months into her marriage back then, underwent a month-long psychiatric treatment following the incident, according to a complaint filed with the prosecution.
"It usually takes months before an investigation of a case begins. And it requires several months for a case to be wrapped up. The case is still underway," said a spokesman for the Seoul Western District Prosecutor's Office, Wednesday. He refused to elaborate further.
In April, the female worker asked the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the National Human Rights Commission of Korea to look into her case and continuing sexual discrimination against female workers at the bank.
"The Japanese male worker was fired from the bank in May. We have wrapped up our own probe into the case," Kim Jung-rai in charge of the case at the ministry said Wednesday. The victim is still on the sick leave, she said.
Choi Joon-seok responsible for the matter at the commission said the commission-led probe is ongoing.
On top of the alleged harassment case, the Japanese bank has also been embroiled in allegations that the bank discriminated against female workers and its Japanese male officials verbally harassed female workers.
In another case, Korean female employees at the bank were reportedly forced to sit beside their Japanese male colleagues on their business trips to Korea and serve drinks at dinner outings.
Such dinners take place two to three times a month and Japanese male workers verbally harassed female colleagues at those times, according to reports.
When contacted by The Korea Times, Tuesday, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking asked this reporter to send questions via email. Several questions were sent asking the bank's stance on the investigation and any plan to improve such a discriminatory company culture.
On Wednesday, a bank spokeswoman said, "As the probe is underway, we cannot answer the questions for now. If any ruling comes up, we will make an official comment on it."
The bank's union was cautious about commenting on the incidents.
"We don't have any specific stance on the cases. We will wait and see future developments," a union spokeswoman said, declining to be named.
Sumitomo Mitsui Banking has around 180 employees at its Seoul branch and dozens of them are unionized, she said, without giving the exact number of members.
Sumitomo Mitsui Banking entered Korea in 1982 and mainly handles corporate banking here. The Japanese bank group has a total of 452 outlets, including 15 overseas branches, according to its webpage.
The prosecution is investigating a former senior Japanese official at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp.'s Korea branch over allegations that he sexually harassed a female co-worker.
In April, a Japanese manager at the bank's Seoul branch allegedly harassed his Korean female colleague physically in a taxi heading to their separate homes after dining with their co-workers.
The Korean worker, only six months into her marriage back then, underwent a month-long psychiatric treatment following the incident, according to a complaint filed with the prosecution.
"It usually takes months before an investigation of a case begins. And it requires several months for a case to be wrapped up. The case is still underway," said a spokesman for the Seoul Western District Prosecutor's Office, Wednesday. He refused to elaborate further.
In April, the female worker asked the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the National Human Rights Commission of Korea to look into her case and continuing sexual discrimination against female workers at the bank.
"The Japanese male worker was fired from the bank in May. We have wrapped up our own probe into the case," Kim Jung-rai in charge of the case at the ministry said Wednesday. The victim is still on the sick leave, she said.
Choi Joon-seok responsible for the matter at the commission said the commission-led probe is ongoing.
On top of the alleged harassment case, the Japanese bank has also been embroiled in allegations that the bank discriminated against female workers and its Japanese male officials verbally harassed female workers.
In another case, Korean female employees at the bank were reportedly forced to sit beside their Japanese male colleagues on their business trips to Korea and serve drinks at dinner outings.
Such dinners take place two to three times a month and Japanese male workers verbally harassed female colleagues at those times, according to reports.
When contacted by The Korea Times, Tuesday, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking asked this reporter to send questions via email. Several questions were sent asking the bank's stance on the investigation and any plan to improve such a discriminatory company culture.
On Wednesday, a bank spokeswoman said, "As the probe is underway, we cannot answer the questions for now. If any ruling comes up, we will make an official comment on it."
The bank's union was cautious about commenting on the incidents.
"We don't have any specific stance on the cases. We will wait and see future developments," a union spokeswoman said, declining to be named.
Sumitomo Mitsui Banking has around 180 employees at its Seoul branch and dozens of them are unionized, she said, without giving the exact number of members.
Sumitomo Mitsui Banking entered Korea in 1982 and mainly handles corporate banking here. The Japanese bank group has a total of 452 outlets, including 15 overseas branches, according to its webpage.
![[INTERVIEW] North Korean defectors bear brunt of remittance scams](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/75c261156ac7415fad92dc1d7c1b30cf.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
![[INTERVIEW] Foreign-born entertainers seek to revolutionize local industry](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/4a6b2bd3d23044d699dee3c5bb956863.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
