Manager handed suspended sentence for forcing staff to sign marriage contract

A male manager who forced two of his subordinates to vow to marry each other has been given a suspended jail sentence.

An image of a statue of Justitia, the goddess of justice [KOREA JOONGANG DAILY]

A male manager who forced two of his subordinates to vow to marry each other has been given a suspended jail sentence.

The Suwon District Court sentenced the manager to six months in prison, suspended for two years, for coercion, according to legal sources on Thursday.

The manager was accused of forcing a female and a male subordinate in March 2021 to sign a written vow to get married, saying things like, “Your yin and yang compatibility is good,” “If you’re not married by the end of May, write a pledge to resign” and “You can’t leave unless you write this.”

The two subordinates complied out of fear of professional consequences.

The manager admitted to making the comments but denied that they constituted coercion. The judge rejected his claims.

“The defendant was the head of the business management division and demanded the vow while referencing resignation,” the court said. “Even if he did not intend to fire them at the time, from the victims’ perspective, his request could reasonably be seen as carrying the risk of disadvantage due to his influence over personnel decisions.”

“The defendant forced the employees to write a pledge about a matter in their private lives and continued to pressure them to date after the fact,” the court said. “One of the victims ultimately left the company after taking sick leave and a leave of absence. The psychological distress they endured is easily imaginable.”

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff. BY KIM EUN-BIN [kim.minyoung5@joongang.co.kr]