Company Representative Fined for Calling Employee a “Blockhead” in Workplace Group Chat

【Financial News, Ulsan = Choi Su-sang】Song In-cheol, presiding judge of the Ulsan District Court’s Criminal Division 9, announced on the 2nd that defendants A and B, who were indicted on charges of insult, were each fined 1 million won.
A, the representative of a manufacturing company, insulted employee C in November 2022 by using the expression “blockhead” and other remarks in a KakaoTalk group chat shared by the employees.
A repeated this conduct approximately 32 times in the group chat over a two-year period.
B, a director at the company, also used similar expressions about 20 times in the group chat, causing C to feel humiliated and ashamed.
C eventually filed a police complaint against A and B.
The court explained its sentencing decision, stating, “Given the content of the abusive language and the duration of the offenses, the nature of the conduct is serious, and the victim appears to have suffered considerable emotional distress.” It added, “The victim wants the defendants to be punished.”

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