Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik called Wednesday for strengthened efforts to protect female part-time workers, expressing dismay at the death of a female college student that committed suicide after her employer repeatedly raped her.
On Aug. 20, a 23-year-old college student was found dead in her father's car alongside burned briquettes in Seosan, some 150 kilometers south of Seoul. Police said they suspect she used the gas from the briquettes to poison herself.
She wrote a suicide note in her cellphone, which was found at the scene, that read, "I was threatened by the boss of the pizza house where I worked as a part timer. Out of fear, I was forced to go to a motel and have sexual intercourse with him," according to the police.
The investigation based on the suicide note found that a 37-year-old man who runs the pizzeria had raped her several times since earlier this year when she began working there, with the latest case taking place some two days before her suicide, they added. The man is now in police custody and will face charges of rape and murder.
"Leaving a deep scar on the young people who take part-time jobs to earn tuition or living expenses is a serious criminal act," Kim said during a meeting with officials, calling for "due punishment" against the suspect.
Pointing at a series of recent sex crimes against female part-time workers, Kim instructed officials to "look into existing policies and strengthen monitoring on relevant matters including possible sexual molestation, wages in arrears and violating minimum wage to protect their human rights."
Meanwhile, the prime minister stressed heightened security against North Korea's provocation and global terrorism during his visit to a Seoul subway station where an anti-terrorism drill was conducted.
The drill was part of the country's annual civilian exercise, involving 410,000 officials at 3,500 government offices and some state-controlled civilian firms, which has been under way from Monday through Thursday aimed to better prepare for emergency situations, such as provocations by North Korea.
"Uncertainty continues in North Korea due to the three-generation power succession, power shift and aggravated economic hardships, among others. Against this backdrop, we have to bolster our security readiness posture to deal with any kinds of provocations and crises in a swift and effective manner," Kim said. (Yonhap)