'Death of Cleaning Worker' Seoul National University President: "Accepted Resignation of Dean of Student Affairs... Will Investigate Fairly"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] Regarding the claim that workplace bullying influenced the death of a cleaning worker at Seoul National University, the Dean of Student Affairs, Gu Min-gyo, who posted a rebuttal on social media (SNS), has ultimately resigned from his position.

On the 13th, Seoul National University President Oh Se-jung stated in a press release, "Recently, the Dean of Student Affairs' post spread through SNS and caused controversy," adding, "As confusion continued with personal opinions being misunderstood as the university headquarters' stance, the Dean of Student Affairs expressed his intention to resign, which was accepted today."

He emphasized, "This is to demonstrate to the university community and the public our commitment to a fair and truthful investigation by the Human Rights Center."

Earlier, on the 9th, Dean Gu posted on SNS expressions such as, "It is disgusting to see people pretending to be victims over one tragic death."

As criticism of the post grew, Dean Gu expressed his intention to step down from his position to the school on the 12th.

He also mentioned on SNS, "I have given external political forces an excuse to intervene and interfere in our campus issues," which sparked further controversy. The external political forces are interpreted as referring to the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), which initially raised the workplace bullying allegations.

President Oh said, "We will sincerely cooperate regarding the deceased’s industrial accident claim," and added, "If any shortcomings are found based on the Human Rights Center’s investigation results, we plan to take active measures."

He continued, "We will listen carefully to the opinions of cleaning and facility management staff, re-examine the working environment and personnel management methods, improve any deficiencies, and establish work standards through updated manuals."

He further stated, "The deceased was someone who, after joining in 2019, worked more diligently than anyone else for the students for two years," and added, "We express our deep condolences to the deceased and the bereaved family, and will do our best to ensure a fair investigation by the Human Rights Center and support for the family."

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