SKorea court backs woman teacher over tea service

AFP, July, 2008

SEOUL (AFP) — South Korea's Supreme Court gave its backing Friday to a woman teacher who complained she was forced to serve morning tea to her male school principal.

The principal committed suicide after the teachers' union took up the woman's complaint of gender discrimination. This prompted the family of the deceased to sue the teacher for defamation, Yonhap news agency reported.

A district and an appeals court had already acquitted the defendant, saying a law had been in force for years banning the practice of female teachers serving tea to their superiors.

"In academic institutions, gender equality is a very important constitutional ...