In a landmark judgment, the South Korea Supreme Court has ruled that refusing to hire a working mother of two young children, who declined to work early-morning shifts and holidays, constituted wrongful termination.

Supreme Court Special Division 2 Chief Justice Min Yoo-sook held employers have a duty of care to support the work-family balance of employees who are raising children.

The case revolved around an employee with two children under the age of six, who worked for a highway operator from 2008.