Korean Employer Pays Worker in Pennies After She Asks for Late Wages

19-year-old Miss Park, who is a part-time worker in Ulsan, had quite the experience after she asked for her late wages; of the 320,000 KRW (~$280 USD) owed, her employer paid 100,000 KRW (~$90 USD) in pennies. These pennies are coins worth 10 KRW which is equivalent to a U.S. penny.

According to the Ulsan Ministry of Employment and Labor, Miss Park worked for the employer for two months starting in February, but did not receive her wages.

She asked her employer to pay her several times, but after being denied, she put in an appeal to the Ulsan Ministry of Employment and Labor. When investigations began, her employer finally paid her, but a portion of it in 10,000 pennies.

When her employer was reached, he maintained that nothing was wrong with what he did, saying, “I gave her money, scraping the money that I have and don’t have. Is that wrong? Is that not money?” The same employer is said to have paid another employee 400,000 KRW (~$350) in coins.

This is not the first time this has happened. In April, a woman made an appeal to the Daejeon Ministry of Employment and Labor when her employer paid her 180,000 KRW (~$160 USD) in pennies and earned the distaste of netizens. While this type of behavior is despicable, unfortunately, it is not yet punishable by law.

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