“What exactly is the reason for your annual leave?” ... CEO berates employee for writing “personal reasons” [What do you think?]

[Financial News] An employee’s story has emerged about being in conflict with their company’s CEO after writing “personal reasons” in the reason field of an annual leave application.
A post recently appeared on an online workplace community from employee A, who said they were reprimanded by the company’s CEO after submitting an annual leave request with “personal reasons” listed as the reason.
According to the post, the CEO reportedly snapped, “You need to state a clear reason so we can prepare for gaps in work coverage,” and, “Would you find it acceptable if the company rejected an employee’s request and simply used ‘personal reasons’ as an excuse without giving a reason?”
Criticism that this amounted to an invasion of privacy soon followed online. Commenters said things like, “Annual leave is a legally protected right, so why do we have to get approval for every reason we take time off?” and, “Demanding that people disclose personal matters such as health problems or family issues is excessive interference.”
Meanwhile, some managers have also voiced practical difficulties. They argue that when annual leave requests pile up at certain times or it is difficult to find replacement staff, employees need to share at least a basic reason for their leave so that work disruptions can be minimized and schedules coordinated.
However, the current Labor Standards Act guarantees workers the right to choose when they take annual leave. There is no provision requiring them to state a specific reason when applying for leave.
The company’s “right to change the timing” is also recognized only as an exception, when granting leave at the time requested by a worker would cause substantial disruption to business operations.
Experts generally believe there is insufficient legal basis for rejecting an annual leave request solely because the reason for leave is unclear, or for compelling an employee to disclose specific private matters.
[email protected] An Gaeul Reporter