According to the Chosun Ilbo, female office workers have been subjected to the so-called “Pence rule”, which describes the US vice president’s reported principle of never dining alone with a woman or attending an event where alcohol is served without his wife.

One 29 year-old professional at a Seoul-based company claimed she had missed out on an important networking opportunity when women were told they could not attend a drinks event with male colleagues and their boss.

“I didn’t do anything wrong, but I felt like I was being treated like I had,” she said.