One of the three female executives at Hyundai’s home base in South Korea, who remains anonymous, has just resigned after accusations of misconduct in dealing with female subordinates. According to Reuters, she’s been accused of pressuring other women within the company to attend and pour drinks for a party with senior men in the company and to dance with men at a karaoke session. Korean media outlet Yonhap reported that the executive in question said doing so could reflect favorably on her position within the company.
While the accusations don’t say anything specific about sexual misconduct, it comes at a time when the #MeToo movement is in full force. An executive allegedly using questionable methods in pressuring her female subordinates to improve her own position just isn’t a good move, regardless of what else is in the news.
This is especially big news because according to the Reuters report, it’s rare for accusations like this to come out at all in South Korea. “Open accusations of this type far outnumbered by anonymous posts on the subject,” says Reuters. The accusations came from a woman who was leaving the company.
“We will take appropriate actions on any irregularities or breaches by individuals within the company that do not ensure equality in the workplace,” said Hyundai in a statement according to Reuters.
The Drive has reached out to Hyundai for further comment and has not heard back. We will update this story if we get any further information.