A financial manager at a UK branch of a Korean firm lost her job because she refused to bow to her boss, an employment tribunal has heard.
Misook McDonald, 43, claims she was demoted to secretarial duties after the perceived slight and is suing Dongbu Daewoo Electronics for sex discrimination, age discrimination and racial discrimination.
The tribunal in Reading, Berkshire, heard that she was moved after the chief financial director angrily confronted her over her failure to bow to him at the start and end of each working day.
She said that when she challenged Ho Seung Yoo about having to make the coffee in her new job, he replied: “Isn’t that what female workers should do?”
McDonald, who has an English father and South Korean mother, claims she was stripped of her managerial role because she was not a white British man.
The electronic sales company, which has a base in Winnersh Triangle, Berkshire, and Ho deny the claims.
McDonald returned to work as a part-time assistant finance manager in April 2014 after a career break to have two children.
She was promoted to finance manager and head of human resources, reporting directly to Ho, despite having no experience in HR, and began working full-time in February last year.
She claimed that as the only bilingual Korean and English speaker in the company, she had been highly valued, but when “a better-speaking Korean employee came along, I was not his preferred choice. I am also not considered ‘pure’ as my father is English.
“I expressed that I felt discriminated just because I am viewed as a Korean female and younger, hence lower in status that I can be looked down upon and pushed aside,” she said.
McDonald was signed off work with stress and told the company’s managing director, Choong Sik Park, in August that she was being harassed by Ho.
“He said Mr Yoo was very angry that I had broken protocol by not bowing to him every morning when I get to work and I do not bow to him when I leave the office at night,” she said.
Ho denied he had demanded McDonald bow to him, but when asked about the coffee comments he replied: “Yes I did say it. However, although I asked her to make some coffee for my guests, I was really sorry for asking that of her at the time.”
The tribunal continues.
