Korea’s Workplace Harassment Reports Double as Compensation Recognition Falls
Government data show workplace harassment reports more than doubled between 2021 and 2025, while the share of mental health claims recognized as work-related declined sharply.
Workplace harassment reports in South Korea more than doubled over four years, while official recognition of related mental health conditions as occupational diseases declined, according to government data released Wednesday.
Reports filed with the Ministry of Employment and Labor rose from 7,774 in 2021 to 16,373 in 2025. The figures were disclosed by Democratic Party lawmaker Park Jee-hye and point to a widening gap between workers reporting mistreatment and those securing formal recognition for its health consequences.
Applications seeking recognition of mental health conditions linked to work-related stress also increased, from 696 in 2021 to 754 in 2025. However, the approval rate fell from 70.5 percent to 55.8 percent over the same period. Approved cases have remained in the low 400s since reaching 491 in 2021.
South Korean courts have recognized that workplace harassment may produce severe job-related stress and contribute to conditions including depression, anxiety and adjustment disorder. Formal occupational-disease recognition is important because it can determine whether an affected worker qualifies for compensation. Applicants must submit documentation that includes a medical opinion.
Data on applications to classify suicides associated with mental illness as work-related deaths showed annual fluctuations. Applications fell from 147 in 2021 to 85 in 2023 before rising to 109 in 2024. The recognition rate declined each year except in 2025, when it increased by 0.1 percentage point.
Park said the falling approval rates suggest that recognition standards have not kept pace with greater awareness of workplace harassment and its effects on mental health. She called for stronger protections for victims and a zero-tolerance approach from the Labor Ministry.
South Korea amended its Labor Standards Act in 2019 to prohibit workplace harassment explicitly. Employers are required to investigate reports and take measures to protect victims. Yet survey findings indicate that many workers still do not use formal reporting channels.
A June survey by labor rights group Gabjil 119 found that 32.1 percent of 1,000 adult workers had experienced workplace harassment. Among those respondents, 55.1 percent said they endured or ignored the conduct rather than reporting it. The most common explanation was a belief that reporting would not improve the situation, followed by concern about disadvantages in personnel decisions.
The figures place renewed attention on whether Korea’s workplace safeguards, reporting procedures and compensation system are providing effective remedies as complaints continue to rise.