Even Young Adults in Their 30s... The Public Service Community's Cries Never Cease

50s Public Official Found Dead on Same Day
Recently, 20s Public Official Dies from Fall

Recently, a series of tragic incidents involving public officials taking their own lives has unsettled the public service community.

According to the Gyeongbuk Provincial Police Agency on the 16th, a man in his 30s, public official A, was found dead around 9:40 a.m. the previous day in an apartment in Bonghwa-eup. Colleagues reportedly visited A’s home after he failed to show up for work well past the start time and could not be reached by phone.

Recently, incidents of public officials making extreme choices one after another have caused unrest in the public service community.
[Photo source=Pixabay]

The police stated that there was no evidence of external intrusion or criminal activity at the scene. They are investigating the exact cause of death, suspecting that A took his own life.

On the same day, a male public official in his 50s from Wonju City Hall in Gangwon Province also died by suicide. According to the police, B (52), a city hall employee, was found dead in an apartment in Taejang-dong, Wonju, around 8 p.m. His family discovered him at home and reported it to the authorities.

B was on medical leave due to an arm injury and had been diagnosed with epilepsy during treatment. His medical leave had been extended until the 26th of this month.

On the 10th, a 20-something public official B from Wonju City Hall, who was a grade 9 employee, fell to his death from the 14th floor of a resort in Sodong-ri, Ilun-myeon, Geoje City, Gyeongnam Province. B had visited Gyeongnam and Busan on the 8th as part of duties to identify and encourage payment from high-amount tax delinquents.

On the morning of the 10th, the last day of his business trip, B gathered with colleagues in the first-floor lobby of the resort to check out but then went back to his room to organize personal belongings. No suicide note was found, but it was reported that he had expressed to those around him that "the work is hard and I want to quit."

The National Public Officials Labor Union (Jeongongno) expressed concern over the string of tragic news within just five days.

In a statement issued by Jeongongno’s Gangwon Regional Headquarters on the same day, they questioned, "What is happening at Wonju City Hall?" and pointed out, "Following the tragic suicide of a public official in his 30s responsible for civil complaints last September, these heartbreaking incidents continue."

They added, "The reality where sharing hardships with others brings no change likely drove the deceased to despair," and urged, "Wonju City must immediately identify the causes and implement practical measures."

Jeongongno also stated, "The current government is tightening the lives of public officials by pushing policies disconnected from reality, such as the 'Five-Year Plan to Reduce Public Official Workforce,'" and pledged, "We will do our utmost to change the workplace so that colleagues do not make tragic choices due to excessive workloads."

※ If you or someone close to you is struggling with difficult feelings such as depression, you can receive 24-hour professional counseling through suicide prevention hotlines: ☎1577-0199 / Hope Phone ☎129 / Lifeline ☎1588-9191 / Youth Phone ☎1388.

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