"Unfair Work and Ostracism"... Why Couldn't the 'Newbie Public Official's' Extreme Choice Be Prevented?

Daejeon City Hall Newbie Public Official Chooses Extreme Measure After 3 Months of Appointment
26.5% of Public Institution Workers Experience Workplace Harassment
Experts: "Chronic Problem in Bureaucratic Society... Need to Establish Mechanisms for Seeking Help Anytime"

The bereaved family of a newly appointed public official at Daejeon City Hall who died by suicide last month is holding a press conference in front of Daejeon City Hall on the morning of the 26th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Seohyun] "Treated like an invisible person and ostracized, unable to even say a word to go eat together."

Extreme choices due to workplace bullying are occurring one after another. In particular, recently, there was a rookie public official who took their own life just months after being assigned to a department. The bereaved family held a press conference demanding punishment for the perpetrator. Experts pointed out the urgent need for a system that allows victims to raise issues. There is criticism that the existing anti-abuse system is virtually ineffective. They also emphasized that the bureaucratic nature of the public service society makes it difficult to resolve problems quickly, and this situation must be improved.

The mother of public official A from Daejeon City Hall, who recently died by suicide, held a press conference on the 26th, saying, "My child, who was happy to work at Daejeon City Hall, ended up dying because of working there," and demanded punishment for those responsible.

A entered public service this year in January through the 9th-grade open competitive exam, was assigned to a department in Daejeon City in July, but after one month complained of symptoms such as difficulty breathing, received treatment for depression, and died by suicide on the 26th of last month, three months later.

According to the bereaved family, A was ordered to come to work an hour early to prepare tea and coffee, and when A refused, considering it an unfair task, A was subsequently subjected to bullying such as being ignored, excluded from work cooperation, and treated like an invisible person.

A also confided to acquaintances that "I am the only administrative public official, so others do not cooperate," "When I ask about work, I am often told to figure it out and solve it on my own," and "I am ostracized and cannot even say a word to go eat together."

Also, according to the Office of Education, on the 2nd, a 50-year-old administrative officer B from the Anseong Education Support Office's Education Facility Management Center was found dead at a closed school in Anseong.

The bereaved family said that a memo, believed to have been written by A, contained the words "It's your fault." Text messages reportedly included pleas to a superior who excluded or ostracized A from work without reason, such as "I cannot work," and "I have a lot to say, but why does the manager close their ears and not listen?"

At that time, A was reported to have complained of workplace bullying and received psychiatric treatment. On the 1st, A received a psychiatric diagnosis stating "Symptoms of anxiety, depression, difficulty controlling emotions, and insomnia require at least four weeks of treatment and rest," and in August and September, A took a total of 11 sick leaves and early leaves.

Workplace bullying. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Workplace bullying among public officials is a chronic problem. According to a survey conducted by Workplace Gapjil 119 and the Public Coexistence Solidarity Fund from the 7th to the 14th of last month targeting 1,000 workers, 26.5% of central and local public institution employees answered "yes" to the question "Have you experienced workplace bullying in the past year?" From January to September this year, reports of abuse in public institutions to Workplace Gapjil 119 numbered 174, accounting for more than 10% of all reports (1,694).

In particular, public institution workers tend to respond passively after experiencing workplace bullying. The response "I endured it or pretended not to know" was 76.7% among public institution workers, higher than the average of 72.7% among all workers.

Some point out that due to the hierarchical and authoritarian nature of the public service society, public officials have no choice but to adopt a passive attitude. In the same survey, the reasons for choosing "no response" to abuse in the public service were "I don't think the situation will improve even if I respond" at 66.7%, and "I fear disadvantages in future personnel matters" at 26.2%.

Experts suggest the need to overcome the authoritarian structure of the public service society and establish mechanisms to properly collect problem situations.

Professor Lee Byunghun of the Department of Sociology at Chung-Ang University explained, "The public service society is a group that shows typical characteristics of a bureaucratic society, and while it is stable, it has an authoritarian structure. Compared to other private organizations, incidents have less impact on the company's reputation, so responses tend to be slower."

He added, "Civil society groups have raised the issue of workplace abuse and are working to legislate it, so public institutions should set an example, but ironically, problems occur. Due to the public official network structure, it is difficult to disclose problems among department members, and there is concern about being excluded from long-term benefits."

He continued, "There must be a system where anyone can report inherent problems in the group and seek help," and emphasized, "It is time to reconsider what roles labor unions and consultative bodies have played so far."

※ If you have difficult concerns such as depression or know family or acquaintances experiencing such difficulties, you can receive 24-hour expert counseling at suicide prevention hotlines ☎1577-0199, Hope Phone ☎129, Lifeline ☎1588-9191, and Youth Phone ☎1388.

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