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By Park Si-soo
Nurses are up in arms over allegations that their colleagues at the Sacred Heart Hospital at Hallym University were forced to perform a "sexy dance" at an internal event.
The Korean Nurses Association vented its fury on Monday, calling for a thorough investigation and merciless punishment of those responsible.
"This is a grave challenge to the vocation and self-esteem of nurses," the association said in a statement.
"There are numerous nurses who endure an intense workload, low paycheck and frequent overtime with their sense of duty and vocation.
"Considering this, the scandal was defamatory and offensive to these nurses."
The association urged the government to tighten regulations to prevent sexual offenses against nurses and to protect their human rights.
The scandal flared up last week after a nurse posted a letter of complaint on social media with photos of nurses in short pants and figure-hugging tube tops performing a sexually suggestive dance during an annual sports event in October.
"Those forced to dance are usually the newly hired nurses, who are unable to refuse such orders," the whistle-blowing nurse wrote on social media on Friday.
"We were forced to dance in front of high-ranking officials of the firm, who sat side-by-side at a long table."
The hospital is run by the Il-song Foundation, which owns three universities and seven hospitals across the country.
Another nurse claimed some nurses cried with shame during such events.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Employment and Labor says it was investigating what happened.
"An internal review is under way," said a ministry official. "If we find legal problems, we will summon the hospital officials responsible."
