Following the recent report on employee deaths in Netmarble, the Korean developer recently announced internally it will resolve all late overtime pay issues “immediately”, some cases which are a few years old. Earlier today, several government agencies held a meeting to discuss the work practices of Netmarble, including the Justice Department and Ministry of Employment and Labor.
A few former Netmarble employees were also at the discussion as witnesses to the intensive crunch mode culture, along with regular late payments for overtime work. Through research and evidence, it was also found out that Netmarble “tricked” employees with contracts which increases work hours but lesser overtime pay, which resulted in a salary far below the hourly minimum wage.
To summarize, Netmarble has abused its employees’ welfare for several years via the fine print. The Ministry of Employment and Labor will propose measures to solve long-term labor problems, hidden concealment in contracts, and work-related deaths in the game industry. Government officials have also urged Netmarble to start a dialogue and be clear about its welfare policies.
