Whistleblower Wins $224K in Seoul Monk Harassment Case
SEOUL – A South Korean court has awarded a woman ₩309.5 million (approx. $224,700) in damages after she was sexually harassed by a senior Buddhist monk and later retaliated against by her religious order when she exposed the abuse.
The Seoul Northern District Court ruled in favor of the victim in her lawsuit against the monk and the Jin-Gak Buddhist Order, which reassigned her under unfair circumstances after she came forward with her #MeToo allegation.
The woman, who joined the order in 2017 at age 25, said the monk—then in his 50s—repeatedly touched her without consent. A colleague confirmed the victim’s visible discomfort in a televised report by SBS, supporting her claims.
Following her 2021 accusation, the order’s disciplinary committee initially suspended the monk for five years. But the leadership revoked the punishment and instead transferred the victim to the order’s Daejeon branch.
Court Finds Retaliation and Harassment
The court found that the woman’s forced transfer was retaliatory and contributed to her trauma. Of the ₩309.5 million awarded:
- ₩100 million was for sexual harassment
- ₩200 million was for the unjust personnel action
- The remaining amount covered therapy and treatment costs
In November 2023, the Jin-Gak Order and a human resources official involved in the transfer were convicted of violating both the Sexual Violence Prevention and Victims Protection Act and the Public Interest Whistleblower Protection Act.
Monk Appeals Light Sentence
The monk was sentenced to 10 months in prison, suspended for two years, in February 2024. He has since appealed the ruling and is currently undergoing appellate trial.
The case has reignited discussions in South Korea about the treatment of whistleblowers and the lack of accountability in some religious and hierarchical institutions.
