Many people heralded Park Hyun Jung's appointment as the first female president and CEO of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO) back in February 2013 as a historic moment. However, it now appears it may be historic for a more nefarious reason. On December 2, the SPO administrative staff sent out a press release calling for Park to resign as 17 employees have accused Park of sexually harassing and verbally abusing them.
While one male employee claimed that Park grabbed him by the necktie and attempted to touch his genitals back in October 2013 at a public dinner, three female employees remarked that Park suggested that they expose themselves sexually, telling one that she would be a good hostess and the other two that they should sit next to important male guests and accommodate their needs like "bar girls." The employees also stated that Park would frequently swear at them, threaten to deduct money from their paychecks, and would say outrageous things, such as, "[You] should sell your organs to make up for corporate losses."
Park has also been accused of being unethical in her hiring and promoting decisions, as she has treated select individuals, such as her friends' children, favorably for their connections rather than their merit.
According to the SPO administrative staff, Park has damaged the SPO greatly with her irresponsible behavior. Ever since her appointment, 13 of 27 administrative staff members have quit.
Some are wondering how Park was hired to be a president and CEO in the first place considering her lacking qualifications. Although Park received a doctorate degree in sociology from Harvard University, she has absolutely no experience in managing a performance arts agency and has spent most of her professional career working under Samsung in customer service and marketing.
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