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Orchestra musicians hit sour note for skipping work, ducking out early

Published: 27 Oct. 2025, 19:26

The Gyeonggi Philharmonic Orchestra [SCREEN CAPTURE]

One-third of the musicians in the Gyeonggi Philharmonic Orchestra, operated by the provincial government of Gyeonggi, have been disciplined en masse for repeated violations of workplace rules — including having others clock them in or leaving early without permission — according to internal and external audits.

According to data submitted by the Gyeonggi Arts Center to Rep. Cho Eun-hee of the National Assembly’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, 34 members of the orchestra were disciplined on four separate occasions between Aug. 4 and Sept. 19. The orchestra currently has 98 members, meaning 34.7 percent were subject to disciplinary action. The Gyeonggi Philharmonic Orchestra is managed by the Gyeonggi Arts Center, a foundation established by the Gyeonggi provincial government.

Of those disciplined, 33 were cited for violating employment regulations — including Articles 6 and 18 of the center’s employment rules and Articles 23 and 27 of the provincial arts troupe operation guidelines. The orchestra's attendance records were reviewed through three internal audits conducted between December last year and Aug. 20 this year, as well as a special inspection by a labor consulting firm on commission from the center, which ran from April 29 to May 30. The firm compared electronic attendance logs with CCTV footage, parking lot entry and exit data, and personal testimonies from those flagged for suspicious activity.

Fifteen members were given heavy disciplinary action — such as suspension for one to three months — after repeated instances of having others record their attendance or leaving early without authorization. Suspensions and above are categorized as heavy disciplinary measures under the center’s rules.

Another 18 members received lighter penalties — such as written warnings or pay cuts of one to three months — for similar but less serious violations.

One member was dismissed for violating the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes. Although the sexual offense occurred in May last year, the orchestra reportedly remained unaware of the case for over a year. In an explanation to Rep. Cho’s office, the orchestra said it was alerted to the incident only after the member was legally detained on June 18, 2025, and subsequently missed work without notice. The case was reported to the center’s audit office on June 23.

Penalties imposed on members of the Gyeonggi Philharmonic Orchestra between August and September [REP. CHO EUN-HEE]

The Gyeonggi Philharmonic Orchestra internal guidelines amendment [REP. CHO EUN-HEE]

The response from the music community has been that “it was only a matter of time.”

“Negligence in attendance is nothing new among musicians, and this happens in other performance groups too. This case has effectively issued a warning to many orchestras,” said an insider familiar with the issue. “Musicians may feel that if there are no rehearsals or they have outside engagements, there’s no reason to show up at the practice room designated by the institution — but management doesn’t always understand these assumptions.”

Rep. Cho said, “This incident clearly reveals the mismanagement that has long been left unchecked in publicly funded arts institutions. It should not end as a one-off disciplinary case, but prompt a broader review of professional standards and public accountability across arts organizations — and ultimately lead to better performances for the public.”

According to the center, the average monthly salary for orchestra members — before tax and excluding allowances — ranges from 3.42 million won ($2,400) for Level 5 artistic staff to 6.72 million won for Level 1.

A Gyeonggi Philharmonic official said the orchestra “recognizes the structural flaws in the management of the ensemble that were revealed in the course of the disciplinary process,” and added that it plans to introduce reforms, including monthly caps on working hours, digital fingerprint tracking for entry logs and a voluntary pledge to uphold work ethics starting next year.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY CHOI MIN-JI [[email protected]]