Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon has been advised by independent investigators to dismiss the president of the city-run orchestra Park Hyun-jung for verbally and sexually abusing her staff.
“It would be ideal for Ms. Park to offer her resignation before we take any action,” said an official from the Seoul City government. “If she chooses not to, then we’ll have to consider other options we have (to dismiss her).”
The city government on Tuesday confirmed the controversial abuse allegations against Park of Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra.
“Verbally abusing her own staff constantly by shouting and cursing with sexual connotations using her (top) position in the organization goes against article 10 of the constitution, which states that all citizens shall be assured of human dignity and worth,” said Lee Yoon-sang, one of the three Human Rights Ombudsmen and independent investigators hired by Seoul City to be in charge of the specific case.
The independent investigator also suggested Mayor Park offer compensation to those who suffered abuse from the head of the orchestra.
Seventeen of the SPO’s 27 staff members anonymously filed a joint complaint against Park and demanded her immediate resignation earlier this month.
According to Lee’s report, some of the sexually abusive remarks made by Park included, “You would make a great bar hostess,” “Wear a miniskirt and sell the records by showing off your legs” and “You have such a winsome personality I should send you to some old men.”
She would also often call her staff members “idiots” and “morons,” and her “scolding” sessions, which consisted of shouting and cursing, would last as long as four to five hours, the report said.
The report also confirmed her alleged remark to her staff that if they caused losses for the company, they should consider selling their organs and expect a pay cut.
A Harvard University graduate with a Ph.D. degree in sociology, Park served as one of the executive members at Samsung Life Insurance, a unit of Samsung Group, and head of a leadership research institute for women, before joining the SPO in February last year.
Her three-year term at the orchestra ends in January 2016.
Park has been denying all the allegations while refusing to resign, claiming her staff members are trying to undermine her career. She also claimed that the findings by the SMG’s independent investigation are “not true.”
Park recently filed a request to the police to identify the 17 staff members who filed the anonymous complaint against her.
By Claire Lee (
dyc@heraldcorp.com)
