'One Month into Job' Grade 9 Public Official "Thinking About Work All Day, Feeling Like Going Crazy"... Left a Will and Took Extreme Measures

Supporting COVID-19 Epidemiological Investigations Even on Weekends

Image unrelated to the article. / Photo by Pixabay.

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Yeeun] A public official in Jeonju, Jeollabuk-do, who had passed the level 9 civil service exam and had been working as a probationary employee for a month, made an extreme choice, complaining of excessive workload.

According to Jeonju city and the police on the 16th, A (27, female), a level 9 probationary civil servant in Jeonju, was found dead at her home in Deokjin-gu, Jeonju, around 7:30 a.m. on the 15th. A was discovered by her mother, who entered the room after she did not get up even though it was almost time to go to work.

A’s mobile phone contained a message saying, "Mom, Dad, little sibling, I’m sorry. I really can’t endure this. I feel like I’m going crazy thinking about work all day. Quitting the job would be one thing, but I think doing this alone like this is more comforting."

She continued, "I hear ringing in my ears, my stomach hurts, and above all, I’m mentally exhausted. I was happy to become a civil servant, but I’m sorry. I didn’t know it would be this hard for me."

Candidates heading to the interview venue during the 2021 National Civil Service Grade 9 Open Competitive Recruitment Interview Exam. This is unrelated to the article. Photo by Yonhap News.

A, who started working at the city hall on the 12th of last month, was a probationary civil servant before official appointment and worked in the agricultural policy-related department. A probationary employee is a civil servant who works for a certain period before appointment to verify their suitability and qualifications for public service.

It was confirmed that she did not rest even on Saturday and Sunday and was involved in COVID-19 epidemiological investigation support work.

The bereaved family said, "She had just been assigned and was not familiar with the work, yet she worked overtime until 11 p.m. or midnight and couldn’t rest on weekends. It seems she worked every day without a break until the day she died."

They added, "She often told her younger sibling and friends that she was struggling and lamented, 'If this continues, I don’t know what will happen. I don’t even want to get up the next day.' This is clearly a death caused by excessive workload."

A Jeonju city official said, "The health center staff alone cannot handle COVID-19 screening tests, so the entire city hall organization takes turns providing support. It was confirmed that the deceased supported epidemiological investigation work on Saturday and Sunday. Other departments take turns supporting COVID-19 for a week, but the department where the deceased worked was busy and only supported for two days," he explained.

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