Citizens are commuting to work near Seoul City Hall Station. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Feb. 10 (Korea Bizwire) — A recent survey has revealed that one in three South Korean workers has experienced workplace harassment in the past year, marking a noticeable increase from the previous year.
The survey, commissioned by Workplace Gapjil 119, an advocacy group for workers’ rights, and conducted by polling firm Global Research, polled 1,000 employees aged 19 and older between December 2 and 11, 2024.
The findings, released on February 9, 2025, indicate that 35.9% of respondents reported experiencing workplace harassment, a 5.4 percentage point increase from 30.5% in early 2024.
The survey found that non-regular workers (41.3%) faced higher levels of workplace mistreatment than regular employees (32.3%). Similarly, non-office workers (39.4%) were more frequently affected than office workers (32.4%).
Among different types of harassment, insults and defamation accounted for 23.5%, followed by unjust orders (19.6%) and physical or verbal abuse (19.1%).
Customer service workers (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
When asked how they responded to workplace mistreatment, a majority (51.3%) said they endured it or ignored it.
Additionally, 23.7% stated they had quit their jobs, while 30.1% protested personally or with colleagues. Only 12.8% reported the issue to their company or labor union, and just 5.0% sought help from external organizations.
Concerns over workplace harassment appear to be deepening. The percentage of respondents who deemed workplace mistreatment a serious issue rose from 46.6% in early 2024 to 54.0% in early 2025.
Alarmingly, 22.8% of those surveyed reported that they had considered self-harm or suicide due to workplace abuse, up from 15.7% the previous year.
Kim Yoo-kyung, a labor attorney with Workplace Gapjil 119, emphasized that the increasing number of workers contemplating self-harm or suicide, coupled with insufficient legal enforcement, should be urgent priorities.
The survey was conducted online using a structured questionnaire and has a margin of error of ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
