In case of a plane crash, call me before family: Manager tells employees in Korea, faces backlash

The remark was made the same day a Jeju Air flight from Bangkok to South Korea crashed on landing killing 179 people on December 29. (Representational image: Unsplash)

The manager of a Korean coffee chain has been receiving some serious backlash on social media after an intern revealed on social media that he urged part-time workers to call him before getting in touch with their families in case they face any calamity--such as a plane crash--and are unavailable to show up at work.

The remark was made on the same day the country witnessed its worst airplane accident after a Jeju Air flight from Bangkok to South Korea crashed on landing killing 179 people on December 29, South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported.

According to the report, a social media user who identified themselves as an intern at the Gong Cha coffee shop shared a message from their manager.

“Did you see the plane explosion today? There are some people going overseas during the holiday. If a crash happens, send me a message saying ‘hire an intern’ first before contacting mum and dad. Do not be absent,” the intern quoted the manager as saying. They added that during their tenure, the manager would often use derogatory remarks on employees and justify it as “testing the staff”.

“Please do not support Gong Cha by spending your money there," the intern wrote. "Is this really something you should say to a part-time worker? As an adult, don’t you feel ashamed? This is so heartless.”

The post soon went viral and ignited anger among Korean netizens who flooded social media slamming the manager’s attitude.

The next day, Gong Cha Korea apologised via a note on its website.

“The investigation revealed that the incident was due to the inappropriate personal actions of a franchise manager,” it stated. “We are seriously addressing this issue and taking appropriate measures against the staff involved. To prevent such incidents in the future, we are strengthening our internal management systems and developing improvement measures.”