Head of HR fired for not bowing highlights serious 'culture clash'

Recently, we reported on Dongbu Daewoo Electronics’ former Head of HR and Finance Manager, Misook McDonald, losing her position at the Korean firms UK base after refusing to bow to her boss - Chief Financial Director Ho Seung Yoo.

The story sparked online concern and furore, as critics deemed job loss as unfair and clear grounds for a discrimination lawsuit.

In this vein, we decided to talk to Adam Pennington, Employment Law solicitor at Stephensons, who gave us the legal lowdown on the controversial case: “As this case is yet to be determined by the tribunal, it is difficult to assess the extent to which the company has, or has not, breached the claimant’s rights.

“However, regardless of whether Dongbu Daewoo succeeds in defending the claim against it, it would appear that there are some serious cultural – both corporate culture and national – clashes within its UK division that have not been properly addressed.