Fired over Pregnancy: an Article
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Fired for Being Pregnant – an Exposé
THE STORY
A woman (pictured) was teaching at a Hagwon (an English education service in Korea) up until the delivery of her baby via an emergency C-Section. She was suffering from pre-eclampsia, a serious pregnancy disorder that can cause kidney dysfunction, fluid in the lungs and red blood cell breakdown.
The woman says the hagwon boss coerced her to sign a letter of resignation while still in hospital and heavily drugged.
The family want me to investigate this matter further, expose the hagwon’s unethical practices and examine the legality behind their actions.
During this investigation, I strongly suspect that I will uncover more women in her situation. The laws in Korea regarding maternity pay have recently undergone upheaval designed to encourage a change in the declining birth rate with all women now entitled to 90 days paid maternity leave.
The Korea Observer deputy editor informs me that he hears at least one new story per week of a hagwon owner not paying staff what they are legally entitled to. He is confident that this new law will result in many pregnant women coerced to resign so that hagwons can avoid paying maternity leave.
I intend to look into this further.
WHO AM I?
I’m an award-winning documentary filmmaker and writer published in Groove Korea, International Living and ARC, for which I am a co-editor.
These are some examples of my work:
“Lasrevinu Blows Up Over Explosions”
http://groovekorea.com/article/lasrevinu-blows-over-explosions-sky
“Fast-Tracking in Tokyo”
http://groovekorea.com/article/fast-tracking-tokyo
“Skimpy Sailing: Lamalerap”
http://arc.pm/writing/articles/skimpy-sailing-lamalerap/
Delivering Peter Rabbit, a documentary for the charity Taman Bacaan Pelangi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-KDR9xgMRk
WHY DO I NEED FUNDING?
The Korea Observer is a relatively new media start-up that was inspired by Tae-hoon Lee after he witnessed the corruption and malpractice of media moguls in South Korea. “I was really ashamed of collecting paychecks for writing pro-government articles and paid content while working for Arirang TV and the Korea Times,” Lee Tae-hoon, publisher at the Korea Observer said.
Writers at The Korea Observer have volunteered their time but invite writers to crowd fund to raise the necessary funds to complete stories.
This story will also require researching employment and termination laws in Korea. I will also follow up with the appropriate government departments in order to seek feedback as well as expose any systemic inadequacies.
I will conduct interviews and of course, write and edit the story.
Your donation will contribute to pressuring the South Korean government to follow up and prosecute business owners who fail to pay maternity leave.
THE STORY
A woman (pictured) was teaching at a Hagwon (an English education service in Korea) up until the delivery of her baby via an emergency C-Section. She was suffering from pre-eclampsia, a serious pregnancy disorder that can cause kidney dysfunction, fluid in the lungs and red blood cell breakdown.
The woman says the hagwon boss coerced her to sign a letter of resignation while still in hospital and heavily drugged.
The family want me to investigate this matter further, expose the hagwon’s unethical practices and examine the legality behind their actions.
During this investigation, I strongly suspect that I will uncover more women in her situation. The laws in Korea regarding maternity pay have recently undergone upheaval designed to encourage a change in the declining birth rate with all women now entitled to 90 days paid maternity leave.
The Korea Observer deputy editor informs me that he hears at least one new story per week of a hagwon owner not paying staff what they are legally entitled to. He is confident that this new law will result in many pregnant women coerced to resign so that hagwons can avoid paying maternity leave.
I intend to look into this further.
WHO AM I?
I’m an award-winning documentary filmmaker and writer published in Groove Korea, International Living and ARC, for which I am a co-editor.
These are some examples of my work:
“Lasrevinu Blows Up Over Explosions”
http://groovekorea.com/article/lasrevinu-blows-over-explosions-sky
“Fast-Tracking in Tokyo”
http://groovekorea.com/article/fast-tracking-tokyo
“Skimpy Sailing: Lamalerap”
http://arc.pm/writing/articles/skimpy-sailing-lamalerap/
Delivering Peter Rabbit, a documentary for the charity Taman Bacaan Pelangi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-KDR9xgMRk
WHY DO I NEED FUNDING?
The Korea Observer is a relatively new media start-up that was inspired by Tae-hoon Lee after he witnessed the corruption and malpractice of media moguls in South Korea. “I was really ashamed of collecting paychecks for writing pro-government articles and paid content while working for Arirang TV and the Korea Times,” Lee Tae-hoon, publisher at the Korea Observer said.
Writers at The Korea Observer have volunteered their time but invite writers to crowd fund to raise the necessary funds to complete stories.
This story will also require researching employment and termination laws in Korea. I will also follow up with the appropriate government departments in order to seek feedback as well as expose any systemic inadequacies.
I will conduct interviews and of course, write and edit the story.
Your donation will contribute to pressuring the South Korean government to follow up and prosecute business owners who fail to pay maternity leave.
Organizer
Conrad Hughes
Organizer
