Saudi Arabian woman in Korean embassy lodged human rights petition for being forced to remove hijab

By Bahk Eun-ji

A Saudi Arabian woman who worked at the Korean embassy there had a complaint filed on her behalf with the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) in March of last year accusing the ambassador of forcing her to remove her hijab.

The rights commission acknowledged Tuesday that the woman, who worked as a translator at the embassy, was the plaintiff and Korean Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Jo Byung-wook was the person against whom the complaint was filed.

National Human Rights Commission of Korea / Korea Times file

According to the commission and multiple media reports, the woman said although she was a translator, Jo demanded she work as his personal assistant. Jo also allegedly told her to remove her hijab and abaya, a religious headscarf and robe worn by Muslim women, when they were alone in the office.

Although serving tea for men other than family members is taboo for women in Islamic culture, the woman was allegedly ordered to serve tea for guests.

In addition, the ambassador allegedly repeatedly demanded she smile whenever she encountered him, such as when handing over a newspaper.

In response to Jo's request, the woman said she felt like she was being sexually harassed, according to the complaint.

The woman claimed she raised the issue with the embassy a number of times to solve the problem, but was ignored. She then sought help from the NHRCK, and the complaint was filed by a third person on her behalf, according to the NHRCK.

Jo denied all the allegations.

“When my secretary went on vacation, the woman worked as a substitute for a day. Other than that, I have never had her work as a secretary,” Jo was quoted as saying by JTBC.

The woman claimed she had to endure Jo's requests as he threatened he would tell her family that she was dating a male worker at the embassy. In Saudi Arabia dating before marriage is illegal, and she would be punished whether or not the accusation was true, she claimed in the petition.

However, Jo claimed that he once told her that her relationship with the male worker seemed inappropriate.

The commission said it is still investigating the case.

For its part, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said its audit department is checking up on the case, looking into whether the complaint was filed based on facts or assumptions of the third person.