Gurgaon: Korean restaurant owner booked for assaulting, molesting woman employee

The owner of an upscale Korean restaurant in Sector 29 market was booked on Tuesday for allegedly assaulting a woman employee on Monday evening.

She alleged that the accused misbehaved with her, abused her, and slapped her for not being able to understand a customer’s Korean dialect. The employee hails from the northeast. The accused hails from South Korea, and runs a popular restaurant chain in Delhi and Gurgaon.

A case was registered against the accused under sections 323 (Punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code at the Sector 29 police station.

The employee, a senior waitress, told the police that the incident happened on Monday evening after the accused became angry that she could not understand the Korean word “Yaki Mandu”. A customer had used the Korean dish’s name in a dialect she was not familiar with.

The owner called her to his office and started questioning her in an abusive manner, she told the police. “He threw a cigarette, a lighter and a water bottle at me. Then he grabbed my neck twice and pushed me against desk. My head hit the desk. I therefore request you to kindly look into the matter and take necessary action, as touching women physically is against the law of India,” she said.

The police said that a case against the restaurant owner was registered promptly upon her complaint.

“This is a sensitive matter as it involves a resident of the northeast and a Korean national. The facts are being verified and action will be initiated against the accused based on the findings,” said Ravinder Kumar, public relations officer, Gurgaon police.

The restaurant management, however, claimed that the matter was minor and was being blown out of proportion. The owner of the place was not available for comment as he was out of the city for a meeting, they said.

“The employee was called to meet a senior official in the morning but she instead went to complain to the police. It is important that both sides of the story be heard. The owner is out of the city and he will return soon to clear the air,” said a representative of the restaurant.