Report says 2 South Koreans lied about MERS to skip work

Members of South Korean army medical services wear protective gears to help treat patients with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, MERS virus at Dae Cheong hospital in Daejeon, South Korea, Friday, June 12, 2015. (Lee Jae-lim/Yonhap via AP) KOREA OUT

SEOUL, South Korea — Two South Korean women are in trouble with authorities after being caught lying about MERS to get time off work.

South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reported Friday that police charged a 20-year-old saleswoman at a department store for spreading a rumor online that it was hiding an outbreak of MERS among staff.

The woman began the rumor hoping the store would close and she could take time off.

Another woman who was off work for two days told her employer that she tested positive for MERS, prompting a call to authorities.

Yonhap said police and health workers visited the woman and found she wasn’t exhibiting any symptoms.

She told authorities that she did not want to go to work.

South Koreans have among the longest working hours in the world.