Labor and human rights organizations in South Korea have raised concerns about the existing legal gaps that fail to protect victims of workplace sexual harassment, particularly in cases involving primary contractors or related individuals. As the International Women's Day approaches on March 8, advocacy groups are urging that the legal framework be expanded to include these vulnerable scenarios. A recent press conference held by the civic group Workplace Bullying 119 highlighted that specific types of harassment go unaddressed under the current law, mainly focusing on corporate representatives and excluding scenarios involving freelancers and subcontracted workers.

The existing Gender Equality Employment Law in South Korea places the responsibility of addressing workplace sexual harassment primarily on business owners, leading to inadequacies in the punishment of offenders like corporate CEOs. For instance, the law states that once an employer becomes aware of harassment, they must promptly begin an investigation. However, when the perpetrator is a corporate representative, the investigation process may devolve into a self-regulatory mechanism, which raises concerns about impartiality and accountability. Activists emphasize that calls for reform to include higher management within the definition of 'employer' have gone largely ignored.

Amid these ongoing issues, some specific cases were shared by participants at the press conference. A worker in the broadcasting and media production sector revealed that despite repeated sexual harassment and coercion into social drinking by their supervisor, they felt compelled to stay silent for fear of repercussions against their colleagues. Similarly, another laborer at a large subcontractor recounted experiences of persistent harassment from a primary contractor in 2024, illustrating the urgent need for legislative changes to protect vulnerable workers against such abuses in the industry.