Researcher Fired for Not Pledging Allegiance
By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
A state-run think tank has fired a staff member for not taking the pledge of allegiance to the national flag. The Korea Labor Institute (KLI) refused to renew the contract of a doctorate researcher, Tuesday, as he did not follow the organization's rule to take the pledge at monthly assemblies.
Kim Joo-seop, the KLI spokesman, said, "This is a government-funded institution and there are certain rules that he has to follow." Kim also claimed that the researcher refused to take orders from his superiors.
However, the KLI union refuted that the pledge should be based on individual conscience.
"He has constantly claimed he cannot make the pledge because it is against his own belief. It did not affect his performance - he has served his previous two-year-contract sincerely, taking on nine different tasks simultaneously," a union insider said.
The institute has had strained relations with the union since earlier this year, when the Lee Myung-bak administration-appointed chief refused to enter into annual negotiations with it. Union members claimed the incident was an attempt to tame them.