Silence over harassment persists in South Korean workplaces despite stronger prevention policies

Despite rising awareness and improved workplace systems, a significant majority of employees in South Korea who experienced sexual harassment at work continue to suffer in silence, according to a new government survey.

Conducted by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, the nationwide triennial survey found that 75.2% of employees who had experienced sexual harassment in the past three years did not report the incident—an increase of 8.5 percentage points compared to the 2021 survey. Among those who did report, nearly a quarter said their organisation failed to take appropriate action.

The findings highlight persistent gaps between policy and practice in South Korea’s workplaces. The survey polled more than 19,000 employees across both public institutions and private organisations. Overall, 4.3% of respondents reported experiencing sexual harassment, a slight decrease from 4.8% in 2021. However, reported cases in the public sector rose significantly—from 7.4% to 11.1%—a trend attributed to the return of in-person work following the pandemic.

Common forms of harassment included sexually inappropriate comments about appearance, lewd jokes, and being pressured to pour drinks or sit next to certain individuals during work gatherings. While physical office settings and workplace dinners remained the most frequent venues for misconduct, online channels are increasingly becoming a concern. Harassment via group chats and social media increased to 7.8%—up 3.1 percentage points from the previous survey.

Perpetrators were overwhelmingly male (80.4%) and frequently held supervisory or senior roles, with half of the incidents involving a person in a position of authority.

When asked why they chose not to report the incidents, employees cited several reasons: over half (52.7%) believed the harassment was not serious, 33.3% feared discomfort in future interactions with the offender, and 27.4% expressed a lack of confidence in their organisation’s ability to respond appropriately.

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Even among those who did come forward, outcomes were inconsistent. Only 27.4% of victims received counseling or procedural guidance, while just 17.5% saw a formal investigation launched. In 16.2% of cases, the alleged harasser was reassigned or separated from the victim.

Secondary victimisation remains a problem, with 12.3% of victims reporting experiences such as malicious rumours or retaliation, although this represents a slight improvement from previous years. Meanwhile, more than 40% of bystanders took no action after witnessing harassment or the fallout.

Nevertheless, the survey did note progress in the development of workplace systems. Around 80.8% of respondents said their workplace now has formal sexual harassment prevention guidelines—up 12.1 percentage points from 2021. Confidence in internal handling of cases has also improved: 88.7% of employees said they believe their company would act fairly, a notable 15.5 percentage-point increase.

Still, challenges persist. Those tasked with managing harassment complaints cited work overload and a lack of expertise as key barriers. Many are expected to handle these sensitive issues in addition to their regular responsibilities, often without adequate training or resources, reported The Korea Herald.

Jong Yong-soo, head of the women’s rights promotion department at the ministry, said the government “will actively support building workplace cultures where harassment prevention and response systems function effectively.”