A South Korean court has fined a woman for sexual misconduct after she accidentally took off a colleague's pants and underwear in front of other co-workers, local media reported.
In addition to a fine of 2,8 million won, which is about $2.100, the woman in her 50s was also ordered to attend eight hours of sexual violence prevention education materials.
The incident reportedly took place last October in the kitchen of a restaurant in Gangwon Province in the country's northeast.
The Chuncheon District Court on Saturday rejected the woman's claim that it was a joke about her colleague, who is in his 20s.
However, the court said they took into account the fact that she had no criminal record, as well as that she later repented.
She bowed in apology to the man and his parents, the judge said.
"It seems they punished a simple joke too harshly," says one comment under a report on the case.
There are other comments.
"The punishment is not excessive at all."
"Why are you pulling this kind of prank? Does this seem like a joke to you?"
Taking off someone's pants, which may include underwear - "pantsing" or "debaging" is often considered a common joke despite criticism that it is a form of bullying.
They have long appeared as a humorous gesture on various shows and reality television in South Korea.
This got people into trouble.
In 2019, South Korean Olympic short track speed skating champion Lim Hyo-jun was suspended for a year for taking off a teammate's pants in front of other skaters.
In 2021, a group of elementary school students in North Jolla province were under investigation for harassing a younger boy on the playground after his mother told police they had pulled down her son's pants.
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