"Naver Employee Who Committed Suicide Suffered Insults and Excessive Work... Lee Hae-jin and Han Seong-suk Ignored It" (Comprehensive)

The Naver Labor Union 'Joint Statement' held a press conference on the morning of the 7th in front of Naver Green Factory in Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, to announce the union's position on "fact-finding and prevention of recurrence regarding the tragic death of a colleague."

[Asia Economy Reporter Bu Aeri] A recent investigation revealed that a Naver employee who took an extreme step was subjected to humiliating remarks and excessive workload by a superior. It was also claimed that the company’s management ignored these issues despite continuous complaints from employees.

Naver Labor Union: "The Deceased Suffered Excessive Workload and Humiliating Remarks"

The Naver labor union ‘Joint Statement’ held a press conference on the 7th in front of the Bundang office building in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, announcing the interim results of their internal investigation.

The union identified three main causes of the incident: excessive workload without regard to nights or holidays due to excessive work orders, unfair work instructions and humiliating remarks, and the company’s tacit approval.

According to the union, the deceased, who was responsible for development tasks in the mapping services division, worked under high-intensity conditions without even the minimum one-hour daily break.

The union stated, "The deceased suffered from excessive workload regardless of nights, holidays, or vacations due to excessive work orders. In addition, they endured mental pressure from unfair work instructions and humiliating remarks from their superior, Executive A, who abused their position, as well as unreasonable work demands that could not be resolved."

The deceased reportedly confided in colleagues, saying things like, "I have two months’ worth of work piling up every day, making it difficult to manage," and "Every time I meet with Executive A, I feel like an incompetent person walking through an endless tunnel, which is distressing."

Notably, Executive A was in a position to decide on personnel matters such as the deceased’s evaluation, salary increase rate, and stock options, and the union confirmed that Executive A pressured the deceased by mentioning stock option compensation.

The labor union is observing a moment of silence with attendees before the press conference on the 7th. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

"Raised Issues in Meetings... Management Negligence and Tacit Approval"

The union particularly argued that the deceased’s death was not unrelated to the company’s negligence. On January 31, 2019, during a meeting attended by Executive A and Chief Operating Officer (COO) Choi In-hyuk, some employees questioned Executive A’s past problematic behavior. In response, COO Choi said, "If there is a problem with Executive A, talk to A. If the problem persists, talk to me. I will take responsibility."

Also, on March 4 of this year, during a meeting including founder Global Investment Officer (GIO) Lee Hae-jin and CEO Han Sung-sook, an employee indirectly referred to Executive A and questioned the legitimacy of appointing a responsible leader. However, HR Executive D only gave a general response, saying, "The management leaders and the personnel committee verify the qualifications of responsible leaders and select them with extra care."

The union emphasized, "The deceased and colleagues followed internal procedures for nearly two years to demand improvements, but their concerns were ignored. The company, which irresponsibly neglected the situation, is also responsible for the tragic choice made by the deceased."

The union demanded that the company establish a recurrence prevention committee involving union participation after the investigation and prosecution. They also called for strict punishment of the responsible superiors and an apology from the management to the deceased and their bereaved family.

Based on the interim investigation results announced that day, the union plans to continue its own fact-finding investigation. To this end, they requested the company provide data such as messenger logs to verify the deceased’s working hours, internal network access records, attendance records, internal messenger communications between the deceased and executives, and materials related to the reporting and handling process of Executive A earlier this year.

Immediately after the press conference, the union submitted a ‘special labor inspection petition’ to the Seongnam branch of the Ministry of Employment and Labor. Oh Se-yoon, head of the Naver labor union branch, said, "We found circumstances that make it difficult for members to report workplace harassment. To prevent this tragedy, an active investigation is needed to determine whether the company fulfilled its responsibilities."

'Growing Pains' Across the IT Industry

Labor-management issues have been continuously emerging in IT companies that were recently regarded as aspirational workplaces. The Nexon labor union is protesting against the reassignment and wage cuts of 16 employees. Kakao was found to have violated labor standards laws, and the Seongnam branch announced on the 2nd that it issued corrective orders to Kakao. Kakao previously faced controversy over a personnel evaluation item titled "I don’t want to work with you."

Oh, the union head, raised his voice, saying, "Many IT workers besides Naver employees came to the memorial space for the deceased to pay their respects. This is a structural problem accumulated in the IT industry beyond the tragedy at Naver, and they empathized because it could happen to anyone someday."

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