Boss sentenced for forcing employees to sign marriage pledge
A 60-year-old executive at a welfare association in Korea has been convicted of coercion after pressuring two subordinates to sign a written pledge to marry each other, even threatening them with dismissal if they refused. The Suwon District Court on Thursday sentenced the man, identified as A, to six months in prison, suspended for two years. The ruling was handed down by Judge Seol Il-young of the court’s 19th Criminal Division. The man was serving as the head of operations at a welfare association in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, in March 2021 when he forced a 29-year-old female subordinate and her male colleague to write and sign a document promising to marry each other. According to court records, the man told them, “Your yin-yang compatibility is perfect,” and demanded they marry by the end of May, or else submit a resignation letter. When they refused, he said, “You can’t leave this office unless you write this.” The female employee ultimately signed the document under pressure. In court, the man admitted to making the remarks but denied any criminal intent, arguing that
Jul 4, 2025By Hankookilbo
