South Korean court cancels disciplinary action against civil servant over private affair

The Daegu District Court has ruled to cancel a one-month salary reduction penalty imposed on a civil servant who engaged in an extramarital affair with a colleague during an overseas training program. While the individual had a pregnant fiancée at the time, investigators determined the sexual encounters were consensual, resulting in no charges for sexual assault or harassment.

The court acknowledged that the official’s behavior was inappropriate and constituted a breach of the duty to maintain dignity as a public servant. However, the judges ruled that the one-month salary reduction was excessively harsh and an abuse of discretionary power.

The ruling emphasized that civil servants are subjects of the constitutional right to privacy. The court noted that while the conduct may have caused internal organizational issues, there was no evidence that the private actions had a concrete or realistic negative impact on the performance of official duties. The court warned that disciplining employees for private matters could lead to excessive state intervention into personal lives.