Korean labor law loophole leaves microbusiness workers unprotected

“Jung Woo-jin remembers Christmas Eve 2024 as the day his manager handed over the car keys. Jung, a pseudonym for a man who worked at a relocation agency for foreign executives from October 2024 to January 2026, said the manager ordered him to drive the vehicle to the supervisor's home and park it in the underground garage ahead of a night out drinking. The personal errands escalated as time went on. Over the next year, the manager made Jung plan a private vacation for his boss in Europe, book hotels and rental cars, and research local traffic laws. Jung also had to move personal belongings and settle utility bills at the supervisor's residence. Jung eventually quit and reported the abuse to the Seoul Regional Employment and Labor Office. Authorities, however, rejected his complaint. While Jung’s company had six employees when he joined, officials determined that high turnover brought the average during his tenure to 4.66 workers. Because Korea’s workplace harassment laws apply only to businesses with at least five regular employees, the calculation left Jung in a regulatory gap wit

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