The South Korean massage chair brand Bodyfriend is set to undergo an inspection by the Ministry of Employment and Labor for potential violations of labor laws.
According to industry sources, the Ministry has decided to investigate Bodyfriend for possible violations of labor laws through labor inspectors this month. Bodyfriend has consistently been embroiled in controversies due to poor treatment of its employees.
On Oct. 13 the Bodyfriend branch of the National Union of Service and Communications Workers, affiliated with the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, filed a petition for labor inspection with the Ministry, citing non-payment of wages, omissions in detailed pay stubs, misuse of comprehensive wage and fixed overtime systems, unannounced holiday work, illegal substitute holidays, and forced holiday labor.
In May, a post on an anonymous online community for office workers revealed that only eight staff members were struggling both mentally and physically while handling over 2,000 customer service inquiries per day. Additionally, allegations of workplace harassment arose when Bodyfriend’s sales team was required to report the reasons for taking weekend leave.
A representative of Bodyfriend stated, “The recent allegations are issues that were resolved in May. The system requiring reasons for holiday leave has been abolished, and we have now sufficiently staffed our customer service department.” In 2019, Bodyfriend faced legal action and fines for six and two violations of labor standards laws, respectively, after a special labor inspection.