Woman fined $2,000 for pulling down male colleague’s pants in front of team members

A South Korean woman was fined 2.8 million won for pulling down her male colleague's pants, deemed sexual misconduct by a court.

A woman in South Korea has been fined 2.8 million won (or $2,000 approximately) for a ‘pantsing’ prank on a male colleague. A court in the country Gangwon province ruled that her act of pulling down the colleague’s trousers, and accidentally his underwear, constituted sexual misconduct.

A woman has been ordered to pay $2,000 as fine over a pantsing prank (Representational image)

According to a report in The Korea Herald, the Chuncheon District Court on Saturday ordered the woman to complete eight hours of sexual violence prevention education in addition to the $2,000 fine.

What happened in the ‘prank’?

On October 3, 2024, the woman pulled down the pants of a male colleague in front of other coworkers. The incident occurred at the restaurant where they both worked. While pulling down his pants, she accidentally pulled down his underwear too.

The woman is in her 50s, while the target of her prank is a man in his 20s.

What did the court say?

A judge in Chuncheon District Court, South Korea, dismissed the defendant’s claim that the act was meant to be a joke.

The prosecution alleged that the woman’s ‘prank’ caused sexual humiliation and filed charges of indecent act by compulsion.

Siding with the prosecution, the court then ordered her to pay a fine and complete eight hours of sexual violence prevention education.

While passing the sentence, the court took into account the fact that the woman had no prior criminal record, showed remorse over her actions, and apologised to the victim and his parents while kneeling.

What is the pantsing prank?

Pantsing refers to the act of pulling down someone’s trousers as a prank, usually in a public setting. It’s often done to embarrass the person and has been called a form of bullying. In 2019, South Korean Olympic short track speed skating champion Lim Hyo-jun was banned from competition for a year after pulling down a team member’s trousers.