Gwangju Nam-gu Public Officials' Union Condemns District Chief for 'Shielding' Abusive Official

The Gwangju Nam-gu Public Officials' Union has called for the withdrawal of a personnel transfer that reinstated an abusive senior official to the main office.

On July 1, the Nam-gu branch of the Gwangju Regional Headquarters of the Korean Government Employees' Union issued a statement, declaring, "We strongly condemn the Nam-gu District Chief for protecting an abusive official," and made this demand.

The union stated, "Reinstating an abusive official to the main office rather than holding them accountable is a decision that defies common sense. The abusive behavior of the official in question is well-documented. The Nam-gu Citizens' Grievance Committee, which investigated the case, also acknowledged the abusive conduct and concluded that it constituted grounds for disciplinary action."

They further pointed out, "The district chief did not accept the committee's decision that the conduct constituted grounds for disciplinary action, instead requesting a re-examination and overturning the original ruling, thereby reducing the level of punishment for the perpetrator."

They added, "It is absurd to claim to eradicate workplace abuse within the organization when the district chief is defending and shielding the perpetrator. It is appalling that a clear case of abuse was excused, and the perpetrator was openly reinstated to the main office."

Additionally, they asserted, "The district chief's principle for handling abuse is not 'zero tolerance,' but 'infinite tolerance.' The perpetrator in this case was disciplined for misconduct in 2023, yet less than a year later, was even promoted to the prestigious position of Grade 5 section chief."

In connection with this, the public officials' union demanding the withdrawal of the personnel decision plans to stage a sit-in protest in front of the district chief's office starting today.

Previously, last month, Gwangju City convened a personnel committee and issued a written warning to the head of District A in Nam-gu. While a written warning is not one of the formal disciplinary actions for public officials (dismissal, removal, demotion, suspension, pay reduction, reprimand), it can still result in personnel disadvantages.

The head of District A is suspected of having insulted and verbally abused staff while serving as a department head in Nam-gu during the second half of last year. It was reported that he called a subordinate "pantry manager" and verbally abused them for "not performing well."

The Nam-gu Citizens' Grievance Committee, which launched an investigation after receiving a report, determined that the actions of the head of District A constituted workplace abuse. However, after accepting Nam-gu's request for a re-examination, the committee concluded that the case warranted either disciplinary action or a warning.

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