Korean Music Copyright Association Suspends Executive over Sexual Harassment Allegations... "Top Priority Is Victim Protection"

Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism Requests Severe Disciplinary Action and Regulation Updates

A view of the Korea Music Copyright Association in Seoul. Provided by KOMCA

The Korean Music Copyright Association announced on July 21 that it had suspended the membership of an executive member who was accused of sexual harassment.

On July 13, the association convened an extraordinary board meeting and decided to impose a heavy disciplinary measure on the executive in question. The disciplinary action was a suspension of membership. In accordance with the association's bylaws and related regulations, the executive’s membership was suspended, which also led to removal from their executive post.

Earlier, suspicion was raised that Mr. A, a composer in his 60s who has served multiple terms as auditor for the association, made sexually harassing remarks to a female employee in her 30s at an association dinner held in mid-March.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism subsequently requested the association to take severe disciplinary action against its staff, strengthen sexual harassment prevention training for executives, and update relevant regulations. The association investigated the incident and convened the board of directors after receiving the official letter.

The association stated, "If a similar case occurs in the future, the same standards will be applied regardless of the position of executives or members." It also pledged to conduct regular sexual harassment prevention and ethics training for employees, and to revise internal policies and response procedures to protect victims and prevent secondary harm.

After the disciplinary action, any acts that unfairly disadvantage or expose the identity of the victim, as well as the spread of false information or slander, will be treated as secondary harm and will be addressed accordingly.

Lee Siha, president of the Korean Music Copyright Association, said, "We sincerely apologize to members, staff, and the victim for such an incident occurring within the association," adding, "We take the seriousness of this matter very seriously and decided that responsible action at the association level was needed."

He added, "We will prioritize protecting the victim and preventing secondary harm by reviewing our internal standards and response procedures," and further stated, "We will also improve our organizational culture so that all members act based on ethical awareness and mutual respect."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.