Lee Kim Chun-taek argues with a security guard who asks him to take off his union vest at the food court of Lotte Department Store’s Jamsil branch in Seoul's Songpa-gu on Wednesday. (X)
Lee Kim Chun-taek argues with a security guard who asks him to take off his union vest at the food court of Lotte Department Store’s Jamsil branch in Seoul's Songpa-gu on Wednesday. (X)

Lotte Department Store came under fire Friday after a video surfaced online showing an employee demanding a visitor take off his union-affiliated vest.

In the video, the employee, who appears to be a security guard, approaches a man sitting at a table and tells him he cannot wear the vest inside the dining area, saying, “Please mind public etiquette.”

The man, later identified as Lee Kim Chun-taek of the Korean Metal Workers’ Union’s Geoje Tongyeong Goseong branch, is seen wearing a vest bearing the union’s emblem.

When Lee refuses, saying, “We dress like this in public places. We even go to the Blue House like this,” the employee replied, “This is private property.”

The incident occurred when Lee and about 10 other union members visited the basement food court of the department store’s Jamsil branch in Songpa-gu around 7 p.m. on Wednesday, after attending a rally held nearby.

“It wasn’t even a VIP place. It was just a food court. I didn’t do anything, but they acted like that just because I was wearing a union vest. That’s hatred toward unions and workers,” Lee told a local news outlet.

Lee said they argued with the employee for about 10 minutes, and some union members left the area.

For its part, the department store explained that the employee restricted Lee from wearing his union vest because other customers might feel uncomfortable, according to news reports.

The store apologized to the union members, saying, “We will revise our customer service guidelines to prevent similar cases from recurring.”


cjh@heraldcorp.com