Assault, Sexual Assault, and Human Rights Violations Increasing Annually in National University Hospitals... Will the 'Taeum Culture' Law Be Revised?

[Image source = Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Eun-young] It has been revealed that the number of incidents involving assault, sexual assault, and human rights violations within national university hospitals has been increasing every year. In particular, reports of human rights violations within hospital organizations have surged, reflecting the unresolved 'Taeum culture' within nursing organizations.

On the 2nd, Jeong Cheong-rae, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, received and analyzed data related to the number of assault, sexual assault, and human rights violation incidents from 14 national university hospitals. The analysis showed that there were 44 such incidents in national university hospitals last year.

According to Representative Jeong, incidents of assault, sexual assault, and human rights violations in national university hospitals increased from 14 cases in 2016 to 25 in 2017, 32 in 2018, and 44 in 2019, marking an increase of over 300% in four years. In 2020, as of the end of July, 43 cases had already been reported, expected to surpass the previous year's figures.

In particular, reports of human rights violations within hospital organizations surged, increasing from only 4 cases in 2016 to 34 cases in 2019, more than an eightfold increase.

This corresponds to 77% of all physical and mental violence cases recorded in 2019, reflecting an increase in human rights violations such as verbal abuse during work, excessive or unfair work instructions, power harassment, and intimidation, rather than physical violence or sexual assault.

Regarding the status of reporters and perpetrators, conflicts among general hospital staff occurred most frequently, and cases of nurses reporting other nurses increased sharply from 1 case in 2016 to 11 cases in 2019.

This appears to reflect the so-called 'Taeum culture,' which signifies negative hierarchical order and workplace bullying within nursing organizations.

Representative Jeong stated, "Despite the increasing importance of the public healthcare system amid the recent spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, it seems that the organizational culture problems within national university hospitals are not decreasing," and “It is urgent to raise awareness among members to improve the harmful practices of oppressive organizational culture and to establish related systems.”

[Image source = Yonhap News broadcast screen capture]

Meanwhile, a revision bill to the Medical Service Act aimed at preventing the 'Taeum culture' among nurses has also been prepared.

On the 2nd of last month, Kang Sun-woo, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, introduced three partial amendments, including the Medical Service Act, to improve working conditions in medical settings and address the issues of Taeum victimization and early turnover among nurses.

According to Representative Kang, the average number of patients per nurse per shift in South Korea is 16.3, which is about twice as high as the average of 8.8 in 123 European countries and the United States. Meanwhile, the turnover rate of new nurses within one year is 35.3%, which is 8.2 times higher than the overall industry average.

Representative Kang emphasized the urgent need to improve the working environment for nursing staff, pointing out that the revised Labor Standards Act aimed at preventing nurse Taeum lacks penalty provisions, and that the reporting and investigation of incidents are handled by the same workplace employer, rendering the system practically ineffective if the employer is the perpetrator.

According to the amendment, penalties will be strengthened to allow license suspension alongside punishment for sexual harassment crimes committed by medical personnel within medical institutions. Additionally, to address the shortage of personnel in medical settings and raise awareness of compliance with staffing standards, medical institutions that fall short of the staffing requirements, including nursing staff, will be publicly disclosed.

Representative Kang stated, “It has been a year since the death of the late nurse Seo Ji-yoon, but the harsh working conditions for nurses have not yet improved,” and added, “Since the healthy working environment of nursing staff is directly linked to public health, I hope this amendment will ensure the complete eradication of the Taeum culture.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.