Pangyo Techno Valley in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, June 29 (Korea Bizwire) – Pangyo, South Korea’s answer to Silicon Valley in the U.S., is home to many technology companies.
Its image, however, is being tainted with a highly stressful working environment and rigid work culture.
South Korea’s leading internet portal Naver Corp., which saw one of its employees commit suicide due to harassment at the company, took drastic measures with its chief operating officer recently resigning.
The company has also been put under special supervision by the Ministry of Employment and Labor.
Krafton Inc., a South Korean gaming giant, has also recently become a stage for harassment with one superior ordering a staff member to work and eat at a local phone booth.
More than 30 percent of all employees at Pearl Abyss, the developer behind the popular game “Black Desert,” were found to be working more than 52 hours a week, with the company abstaining from paying 380 million won (US$336,600) in overtime wages to employees.
South Korea’s major tech companies are popular among young job seekers. Ensuring high wages and welfare, many believe that working for these companies will be less stressful.
Several internal sources suggest, however, that the increasing number of harassment issues in recent years is beginning to unveil the uncomfortable side of reality about these companies.
Their failure to mature in terms of work management, despite their massive growth, is resulting in harassment, controversy over bonuses, and overwork, some say.
With the increasing size of the MZ generation, many are criticizing these companies for failing to adjust their working environment to cater to younger employees.
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
