Workplace harassment reports rise, as gov't recognition falls

Reports of workplace harassment and workers' claims of resulting mental health issues have both surged in recent years, but government recognition of the cases as work-related has continued to fall, government data showed.

The number of workplace harassment reports filed with the Ministry of Employment and Labor more than doubled from 7,774 in 2021 to 16,373 in 2025, according to ministry data released Wednesday by Rep. Park Jee-hye of the Democratic Party of Korea.

South Korean courts have acknowledged that workplace harassment can cause severe work-related stress, which can lead to various mental health conditions, including adjustment disorder, depression and anxiety disorders.

The data showed that workers' applications for mental health issues as occupational diseases related to work-related stress increased over the same period, going from 696 in 2021 to 754 in 2025. The recognition rate fell from 70.5 percent to 55.8 percent in that time span. The number of approved cases has hovered in the low 400s after reaching 491 in 2021.

Meanwhile, the number of applications from workers seeking recognition of suicides resulting from mental illness as work-related deaths has fluctuated, going from 147 in 2021 to 85 in 2023 and 109 in 2024, while the recognition rate declined every year except in 2025, when it edged up by 0.1 percentage point.

The low recognition rate has sparked concerns that workers suffering from mental health issues related to their jobs face significant hurdles in seeking compensation.

To seek workers' compensation for an occupational disease, applicants are required to submit documentation containing a medical opinion on the case.

Park argued that the declining recognition rates suggest that standards for recognizing work-related illnesses have yet to keep pace with growing awareness of workplace harassment and its impact on mental health.

“Applications to have mental health issues recognized as work-related, particularly those stemming from workplace harassment, have risen sharply,” Park said. “This is a warning that workplace culture and systems for protecting victims still need improvement.”

Following a series of high-profile cases involving workplace harassment in the late 2010s, South Korea amended the Labor Standards Act in 2019 to explicitly prohibit workplace harassment and require employers to investigate reported cases and take protective measures.

Despite the changes, workplace harassment remains widespread, according to labor rights group Gabjil 119.

In a survey by the group in June, 32.1 percent of 1,000 workers aged 19 or older said they had experienced workplace harassment. Among those who had experienced harassment, 55.1 percent said they either endured it without reporting it or ignored it.

The most commonly cited reason for not reporting harassment was the belief that doing so would not improve the situation, followed by concerns about possible disadvantages in personnel decisions.

Critics have argued that limited institutional remedies for victims contribute to the persistence of workplace harassment.

Park has called on the Labor Ministry to adopt a zero-tolerance approach and take tougher action against workplace harassment.