"Sad and Upset" Naver Atmosphere Also Somber Over Colleague's Suicide

Naver Headquarters

[Asia Economy Reporter Bu Aeri] "It is so heartbreaking and upsetting."

The news of the extreme choice made by Mr. A, a man in his 40s working at Naver headquarters, has cast a somber mood within Naver. On the 29th, voices among employees called for a thorough investigation into workplace harassment.

An employee of a Naver affiliate said, "The IT industry has a more rational culture compared to other industries, but because of that, labor unions are less developed, and such issues often do not come to light." He added, "I hope this incident becomes an opportunity to redefine workplace violence."

According to the Bundang Police Station in Gyeonggi Province, Mr. A was found dead near his home close to Naver headquarters in Bundang-gu, Seongnam City, on the 25th.

A note presumed to have been left by Mr. A was found at the scene, which reportedly contained content about the stress he experienced from work.

Within the company, controversy over 'workplace harassment' has arisen surrounding Mr. A's death.

The Naver labor union issued a statement on the 28th, saying, "It is understood that the deceased suffered from excessive work stress and harassment due to hierarchy during his lifetime," and added, "If proven true, this is clearly a work-related injury."

They continued, "If there were parts where the deceased could not express his difficult situation due to institutional flaws in the company's personnel system and made a heartbreaking choice, we will actively demand institutional improvements."

Furthermore, the union emphasized, "We feel a deep sense of responsibility for losing our colleague so suddenly," and "We express our deepest condolences to the bereaved family and will do our best to prevent such tragedies from happening in the future."

The company also plans to conduct a related investigation. Han Seong-sook, CEO of Naver, stated in an email to employees, "This week, we experienced the sorrowful loss of our colleague," and added, "The management is taking this matter very seriously."

She further said, "Currently, a police investigation is underway, and separately, we will request the board of directors to conduct a transparent and objective investigation through an external agency."

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