South Korean court upholds dismissal of SRT manager for embezzling passenger property

A South Korean court has upheld the dismissal of an SRT cabin manager who embezzled items left behind by passengers. The Seoul Administrative Court ruled in favor of SR Co., Ltd. in a lawsuit against the Central Labor Relations Commission regarding the validity of the employee's termination.

The cabin manager was found to have taken 1.2 million won in cash, a luxury wallet, and wireless earphones from a passenger instead of handing them over to the lost property center. While the prosecution previously issued a suspended indictment due to the individual being a first-time offender who reached a settlement with the victim, the court determined that the theft was a serious breach of duty.

The court noted that the manager used their professional authority to gain financial advantage. It concluded that the dismissal was not an excessive use of disciplinary discretion, especially since the company had already applied a slightly reduced penalty compared to the standard for dismissal under its internal regulations.