‘Love shots’ off limits, court rules

Striking a blow against boorish, male-oriented drinking practices in Korea, the Supreme Court affirmed a lower court ruling yesterday that penalized a man who forced two female restaurant employees to have a so-called love shot with him at a golf club.
The man was ordered to pay 3 million won ($3,070) in fines for compelling the women to engage in the suggestive drinking practice in which two people hug each other, cross arms and toss back a drink from their individual glasses.
According to the court, the 48-year-old suspect tried to force a 28-year-old female worker at a golf club restaurant in South Gyeongsang Province to drink a boilermaker with him on Aug. 10, 2005.
She refused, but the suspect pressed the matter, putting his arm around her neck and rubbing his face against her cheek.
The suspect also forced another 28-year-old employee at the restaurant to have a love shot with his friend. The suspect threatened the employees that he would have the chairman of the golf club, whom he had known for several years, fire the women if they refused to go along with his demands.
“Threatening the victims and forcing them to drink a ‘love shot’ are considered assault based on the relationship between the suspect and the victims and other circumstances of the incident,” the court said.
A district court had sentenced the man to a suspended jail term and 80 hours of community service but an appeals court changed the punishment to 3 million won in fines.
The judgment follows a high court decision last year in which a female software developer won a lawsuit against her boss, who forced her to go out drinking after work. The woman complained that she was unfairly compelled to drink with co-workers and subjected to sexual harassment if she refused.

By Park Sung-woo JoongAng Ilbo [soejung@joongang.co.kr]