Retaliation Against Employee Who Reported Sexual Harassment, Former Head of Jingak Order Fined in Appeal

[Financial News] The former head of the Korean Buddhist Jingak Order, who gave personnel disadvantages such as regional transfers for reporting sexual harassment as a public interest report, was sentenced to a fine in the appeal trial.
Seoul Northern District Court Criminal Appeal Division 1-1 (Kim Tae-kyun, Yoon Woong-ki, Won Jeong-sook, Chief Judges) on the 19th maintained the first trial sentence of a fine of 10 million won in the appeal trial of Jeong Mo (59), who was indicted for violating the Act on the Prevention of Sexual Violence and Protection of Victims (dismissal of victims) and the Public Interest Whistleblower Protection Act. The foundation was also sentenced to a fine of 5 million won, the same as in the first trial.
The court stated, "The sentence imposed by the original trial is not considered too heavy or light to be unjust."
Previously, the prosecution requested the court to sentence Jeong to one year in prison and the Korean Buddhist Jingak Order Foundation to a fine of 10 million won in the final trial.
In November last year, the first trial court sentenced Jeong and the foundation to fines of 5 million won and 10 million won, respectively. In the same month, the prosecution appealed on the grounds of unfair sentencing.
Jeong was brought to trial on charges of giving personnel disadvantages such as regional transfers to victim A, who reported public interest and sexual violence, claiming to have been sexually harassed by B, an executive of the Jingak Welfare Foundation and son of the highest leader of the Jingak Order.
It was confirmed that Jeong and the foundation transferred A for making a public interest report and additionally placed him on standby when he applied for protective measures for public interest whistleblowers to the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission.
The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission reported the case to the prosecution in June 2023, and the prosecution indicted Jeong without detention in April last year.
The Jingak Order is the third largest Buddhist sect in Korea, following the Jogye Order and Cheontae Order.

jyseo@fnnews.com Seo Ji-yoon Reporter