270 women sue hotel for sex harassment

Female Lotte Hotel employees have filed a sexual harassment suit at against their workplace, representing Korea¡¯s first group lawsuit against such harassment.

A total of 270 women union members who work at the hotel filed a lawsuit against the management and 16 male superiors, including the representative of Lotte Hotel, Chang Sung-Won with the Seoul District Court, demanding 1.76 billion won (US$1.6 million) in damages for alleged sexual harassment.

¡°Our human rights are seriously damaged by constant sexual harassment in the office,¡± their suit said. ¡°The cases of sexual harassment include physical harassment, verbal abuse such as obscene jokes, and the viewing of lewd Internet Web sites. Female employees were forced to sit beside their superiors and fill their glasses at dinner parties. The superiors also touched their knees and waists, and if female workers stood up against such harassment, they were forced to resign.¡±

The women said that the company assume responsibility for ignoring or remaining silent about the harassment in a society in which a minority of men rule a majority of women.

Lotte Hotel is considering whether to launch a counter suit, saying that the plaintiffs are stabbing the company in the back.