According to reports from Yonhap News Agency and The Chosun Ilbo, on June 23 (local time), South Korean President Lee Jae-myung criticized a case involving a female firefighter who died after suffering workplace harassment and being forced to drink alcohol, calling it "the most heinous form of workplace bullying" during a cabinet meeting.
Lee Jae-myung said, "People go to work to make a living, yet so-called supervisors treat their subordinates like toys, using them as entertainment for drinking. This is workplace bullying – the most deplorable kind. If you want to drink, go drink by yourselves."
Lee stated that while such workplace practices may have existed in the past, such incidents should not be happening anymore. He ordered all ministries to thoroughly reform their internal organizational culture and prevent any future cases of workplace oppression.
Lee Jae-myung had learned of the incident while on a trip to Europe and immediately posted on X (formerly Twitter): "It is truly heartbreaking to see such old-fashioned practices still exist among public servants today."
According to South Korean media reports, the female firefighter passed away in October last year. Local fire authorities issued documents attributing her death to family discord. However, evidence submitted by her family indicated that she had been forced to drink alcohol before her death. It was also reported that the fire department used "lack of objective evidence" as an excuse and failed to launch an investigation for more than five months. The investigation only began last month after the family visited the national fire agency.
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