"Doing All Kinds of Work... Hair Falling Out and Breathing Difficulties" Tears of a 20s Public Service Worker

Not Recognized as Occupational Disease

A man in his 20s who suffered from excessive workload while serving as a social service agent suddenly experienced severe hair loss but claimed that it was not recognized as an occupational disease, sparking controversy.

On the 25th, JTBC reported the story of Kim (23), who developed hair loss while performing public service at a nursing home in Gyeonggi Province.

Kim said that in October last year, during his 18th month of service, his hair began to fall out and within a month, almost none remained. Not only his hair but also other body hair such as nasal hair fell out to the extent that it even affected his breathing.

Mr. Kim, who was in his 18th month of service last October, began losing his hair, and within a month, almost none remained. Not only his hair but also other body hair such as nasal hair fell out, to the extent that it even affected his breathing.
[Photo by JTBC]

Kim said, "It fell out so much that I wondered if I had cancer," adding, "There is no history of hair loss in either my paternal or maternal family, so I never even considered hair loss."

Kim pointed to excessive workload as the cause of his sudden hair loss. According to Kim, at the nursing home, since he was not an expert, he had to watch YouTube videos to fix wheelchair wheels, install iron mesh on windows, and even manage patients' personal information.

While public service agents serving in social welfare facilities generally assist with physical activities for the elderly and disabled, emotional support, and program operation support, Kim's side explained that he had to handle excessive miscellaneous tasks.

Despite Reporting Inappropriate Work, the Military Manpower Administration Only Issued a 'Warning'

Mr. Kim also reported it to the Military Manpower Administration as inappropriate work. However, the Military Manpower Administration only issued a 'warning' to the nursing home and reportedly deferred the decision on the work-related injury to the responsible agency, Namyangju City.
[Photo by JTBC]

Even considering that most public service agents take on various roles, Kim's position is that he was given inappropriate work.

He lamented, "They asked me to do this and that. I had to line up to be assigned tasks, so it was mentally very difficult."

Ultimately, Kim requested that his service institution recognize his illness as caused by excessive workload, but it was not accepted. The reason given was that it was difficult to see the hair loss as work-related.

Kim also reported the inappropriate work to the Military Manpower Administration. However, the administration only issued a 'warning' to the nursing home and reportedly deferred the decision on occupational disease recognition to Namyangju City, the responsible agency.

Kim said, "When I take the subway or go to crowded places, I shrink back," adding, "I hope other public service agents do not have to go through such difficulties."

Social Service Agents Left in a Blind Spot for Unfair Treatment

On the afternoon of April 30th, the Social Service Agent Labor Union held a press conference declaring the 1st Social Service Agent Workers' Day in front of the Seoul Regional Military Manpower Administration in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

As of 2023, institutions where social service agents can be assigned are limited to 'national institutions,' 'local governments,' 'public organizations,' and 'social welfare facilities.' Except for social welfare facilities, all are public facilities operated by the government.

However, social service agents are not legally protected from unfair work orders or workplace harassment within their institutions.

Since the amendment to the Labor Standards Act, known as the 'Workplace Harassment Prohibition Act,' was implemented in 2019, social service agents are not classified as 'workers' under the law, so they are not covered by this law.

In particular, social service agents working in administrative agencies or welfare facilities are exposed to unfair treatment not only from the institution's staff but also from users.

In response, in 2021, Yoon Joo-kyung, a member of the People Power Party, introduced an amendment to the Military Service Act related to prohibiting workplace harassment of social service agents. This amendment passed the National Assembly's Judiciary Committee on September 21 and is awaiting passage in the plenary session.

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