A court in South Korea fined a former Asiana Airlines CEO almost $1,800 (£1,300, 2m won) for refusing female staff members to take menstrual leave.
Kim Soo-Cheon refused 138 requests from 15 flight attendants to take menstrual leave between May 2014 and June 2015. He claimed the flight attendants did not provide sufficient proof of menstruation.
A lower court said that asking employees to provide proof of menstruation could “infringe upon privacy and human rights.” The South Korean government had introduced menstrual leave in 1953.
The law allows South Korean women to take one or two days off per month. However, the leave is often unpaid.
“Menstrual leave was devised to protect motherhood. For the sake of women’s health, menstrual leave is definitely necessary. Women oftentimes suffer from excruciating pain during their period, with some even showing symptoms of depression,” said Bae Jin-Kyung, general secretary of the Korean Women Workers Association, as reported by The Korea Times.
Feature Image: “CNN”