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Workplace Sexual Harassment Lawyer
Workplace Sexual Harassment Lawyer | A Victim's Roadmap to Reporting, Investigation, and Compensation
Workplace sexual harassment refers to unwelcome sexual speech or conduct by an employer, supervisor, or coworker that causes sexual humiliation or a hostile work environment, or that disadvantages an employee for refusing such conduct (남녀고용평등과 일·가정 양립 지원에 관한 법률 제2조 제2호). Employers are legally required to investigate reports, protect the reporting employee, and take disciplinary action against the harasser — and retaliation against a victim who reports is itself a separately punishable offense. This page explains what qualifies, what your employer must do, and what compensation or remedies you may be entitled to pursue.
Workplace Sexual Harassment | What Legally Counts as Workplace Sexual Harassment
Many victims hesitate to report because they're not sure the conduct was 'serious enough.' The legal definition is broader than most people expect, and covers both physical acts and verbal or environmental conduct.
Two Categories: Quid Pro Quo and Hostile Environment
The law recognizes both direct pressure — for example, a supervisor implying that submitting to sexual demands affects your evaluation or job security — and conduct that simply creates a sexually humiliating or hostile atmosphere, such as repeated sexual comments, unwanted physical contact, or sexual jokes in meetings (남녀고용평등과 일·가정 양립 지원에 관한 법률 제2조 제2호). Neither category requires physical touching to qualify.
Who Can Be Held Responsible
The law covers harassment by business owners, supervisors, and coworkers. It also applies where the harasser is a client or third party the victim must deal with as part of the job, in which case the employer still owes a duty to respond and protect the employee (남녀고용평등과 일·가정 양립 지원에 관한 법률 제12조, 제14조의2).
One Incident Can Be Enough
Victims often assume harassment must be repeated to count. A single sufficiently serious incident — an unwanted touch, an explicit sexual proposition, or a sexually degrading remark tied to a work evaluation — can meet the legal threshold. What matters is whether a reasonable person in the victim's position would find the conduct sexually humiliating or coercive, not whether the harasser intended offense.
Workplace Sexual Harassment | What Your Employer Is Legally Required to Do
Once you report harassment — formally or informally — your employer's legal duties begin immediately. Understanding these obligations helps you recognize when your employer is falling short.
Duty to Investigate Promptly and Confidentially
An employer who becomes aware of a harassment complaint must investigate without delay, and must keep the identity of the victim and details of the case confidential during the process, disclosing them to others only as strictly necessary for the investigation (남녀고용평등과 일·가정 양립 지원에 관한 법률 제14조 제2항, 제4항). Leaking your identity or the complaint details to coworkers can itself be a violation.
Duty to Take Protective Measures During the Investigation
If requested by the victim, the employer must take appropriate measures such as a temporary change in work location, paid leave, or other steps to protect the employee while the investigation is ongoing (남녀고용평등과 일·가정 양립 지원에 관한 법률 제14조 제3항). These measures should not disadvantage the victim — for example, transferring the victim to a worse position while leaving the harasser untouched can itself raise legal issues.
Duty to Discipline the Harasser and Report Findings
Where the investigation confirms harassment occurred, the employer must take disciplinary or other necessary action against the harasser and must notify the victim of the outcome (남녀고용평등과 일·가정 양립 지원에 관한 법률 제14조 제5항, 제6항). An employer who fails to act on a confirmed finding can face separate administrative sanctions.
Workplace Sexual Harassment | Retaliation for Reporting Is a Separate Legal Violation
Fear of retaliation is one of the biggest reasons victims stay silent. The law specifically criminalizes disadvantageous treatment of a victim or reporting employee, separate from the harassment itself.
What Counts as Disadvantageous Treatment
Termination, demotion, unfavorable performance reviews, exclusion from work assignments, forced leave, or workplace ostracism directed at an employee because they reported harassment or cooperated with an investigation can all qualify as unlawful retaliation (남녀고용평등과 일·가정 양립 지원에 관한 법률 제14조 제6항, 제37조 제2항).
Criminal Penalties for Employers Who Retaliate
An employer who takes disadvantageous action against a victim or a reporting employee can face imprisonment or a fine under the Equal Employment Act, separately from any civil liability for the underlying harassment (남녀고용평등과 일·가정 양립 지원에 관한 법률 제37조 제2항). Documenting the timeline between your report and any adverse action taken against you is important if retaliation occurs.
Workplace Sexual Harassment | What You Can Pursue: Civil, Criminal, and Administrative Paths
Depending on the facts, a victim may pursue more than one type of remedy at the same time — these tracks are not mutually exclusive and often run in parallel.
Civil Claim for Damages
A victim can file a civil suit against the harasser, and in some cases against the employer, for emotional distress and other damages caused by the harassment or by the employer's failure to properly respond (민법 제750조, 제756조). Damages awarded depend heavily on the severity and duration of the conduct, and whether the employer's response worsened the harm.
Criminal Complaint Where the Conduct Involves Physical Contact or Coercion
Where the harassment involved unwanted physical contact, coercion, or threats, it may also constitute a criminal offense such as indecent act by compulsion, separate from the civil and administrative process (형법 제298조). A criminal complaint can proceed independently of any internal company investigation.
Reporting to the Ministry of Employment and Labor
Victims can also file a complaint with the regional Ministry of Employment and Labor office, which can investigate whether the employer met its statutory duties and impose administrative fines for violations such as failure to investigate or improper disclosure of the victim's identity (남녀고용평등과 일·가정 양립 지원에 관한 법률 제39조). This route is useful when the main problem is the employer's inadequate handling rather than a criminal act.
Workplace Sexual Harassment | From Reporting to Resolution
Before or right after reporting, write down dates, locations, what was said or done, and any witnesses. Consulting a workplace sexual harassment lawyer early helps you understand which of the civil, criminal, or administrative routes fits your situation.
You submit a report to your employer (HR, a designated harassment officer, or management), triggering the employer's statutory duty to investigate promptly and confidentially, and to consider protective measures if you request them.
If the employer's response is inadequate, or the conduct may be criminal, you can file with the Ministry of Employment and Labor or the police at the same time — you are not required to wait for the internal process to finish.
Your lawyer helps organize evidence (messages, witness statements, medical or counseling records) and prepares a civil complaint, criminal complaint, or administrative report as appropriate.
Cases may resolve through settlement, a labor authority's administrative finding, or a court or prosecutorial decision. Throughout, your lawyer monitors for signs of retaliation and can act quickly if it occurs.
Workplace Sexual Harassment | How Costs Are Structured
Most firms offer an initial consultation to assess whether the conduct meets the legal threshold and which remedies are realistic, which helps you decide whether to proceed before committing to representation.
If you proceed with a civil suit, criminal complaint, or administrative filing, a retainer fee is generally set based on the complexity of the case, the number of parties involved, and whether multiple procedures (civil/criminal/administrative) are pursued simultaneously.
In civil damages cases, a portion of the fee may be structured as contingent on the outcome or amount recovered, in addition to the retainer; this is negotiated case by case and is not tied to any guaranteed result.
Court filing fees, expert or medical documentation fees, and costs of gathering evidence (such as forensic recovery of messages) are typically billed separately from the legal fee itself.
※ Costs vary depending on case complexity and specific circumstances; exact fees will be provided during consultation. No specific outcome is guaranteed.
Workplace Sexual Harassment | Self-Check for Victims
1️⃣ Does What Happened Qualify?
- Did the conduct involve unwanted sexual speech, contact, or pressure connected to your work relationship?
- Did it make you feel humiliated, degraded, or afraid, even if it happened only once?
- Was there any implication that your job, evaluation, or treatment depended on tolerating the conduct?
- Did it come from a supervisor, coworker, client, or anyone you deal with because of your job?
2️⃣ Before You Report
- Have you written down dates, times, locations, and exact words used, as soon after each incident as possible?
- Do you have any messages, emails, call logs, or CCTV-relevant locations that could support your account?
- Is there anyone who witnessed the conduct or who you told about it at the time?
- Have you considered whether to consult a lawyer before making a formal report?
3️⃣ During the Employer's Investigation
- Has your employer explained who will handle the investigation and how confidentiality will be maintained?
- Have you requested any protective measures you need, such as a schedule or location change?
- Has anyone at work disclosed your identity or the details of your complaint without your consent?
- Has the employer given you a timeline for when the investigation will conclude?
4️⃣ Watching for Retaliation
- Has your workload, schedule, or performance evaluation changed since you reported?
- Have you been excluded from meetings, projects, or communication that you were previously part of?
- Has anyone suggested, directly or indirectly, that you should 'drop it' or that reporting was a mistake?
- Are you documenting the timing of any negative treatment relative to your report?
Frequently Asked Questions
Official References
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