"What's the Use of Being a Developed Country... Guarantee Rest Areas" Surge of Blue House Petitions Over Death of Seoul National University Cleaning Worker

Photo by Cheongwadae National Petition Board Capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Choyoung] A woman in her 50s who worked as a cleaning worker at Seoul National University was found dead last month on the 26th in a dormitory lounge on campus, drawing renewed attention to a Blue House petition demanding improvements to the poor working conditions of cleaning workers.

According to the Blue House petition board on the 8th, a petition titled "Please make it mandatory to guarantee rest areas so that cleaning workers do not eat in the restroom," posted on the 21st of last month, had gained over 129,000 supporters as of 8 a.m. that day.

The petitioner stated, "The poor working conditions of cleaning workers have only been sporadically pointed out when incidents or accidents occurred," adding, "Now is the time for discussions that go beyond just being angry and sad for a day or two and then dispersing."

They continued, "Last November, President Moon Jae-in awarded the Mugunghwa Medal of the Order of Civil Merit to labor activist Jeon Tae-il on the 50th anniversary of his death and declared the government's will to move toward a labor-respecting society," emphasizing, "The right to rest, especially essential activities like eating and using the restroom, is a basic human right."

Furthermore, they pointed out, "Even in public buildings such as government offices or universities, cleaning workers openly eat in restrooms, so what responsible measures can be expected from private companies?" and "Although nominal rest areas are created, many are inaccessible or insufficient in space, making it impossible to use them during working hours."

The petitioner concluded, "In a country where citizens eat in restrooms, what use is it to be an advanced country, to have pride, or to have the Fourth Industrial Revolution?" and "Please make it mandatory to practically guarantee rest areas so that cleaning workers do not have to eat in restrooms."

Meanwhile, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions’ National Democratic General Labor Union held a press conference in front of the Seoul National University administration building on the 7th, claiming that the deceased cleaning worker had suffered from 'workplace power harassment.'

The union stated, "The deceased endured severe stress due to unfair power harassment and military-style work orders from Seoul National University officials, including the dormitory safety management team leader," appealing, "The death of the deceased is not a personal death but a social death caused by workplace power harassment."

On that day, the bereaved family and the union demanded Seoul National University to △ form a joint industrial accident investigation team to uncover the truth △ improve the coercive military-style personnel management system △ establish a consultative body to improve working conditions.

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