Acting Commissioner Choi Yong-chul said, "Each commander should closely examine the organizational culture to prevent cases that damage trust, such as improper orders and power abuse, and lead the organization stably with an attitude of communicating with the field."
According to the National Fire Agency on the 21st, Acting Commissioner Choi convened a national meeting of fire commanders and stated accordingly that "discipline in public office is an issue directly tied to public trust, beyond an internal matter."
At the meeting that day, the National Fire Agency decided to apply a zero-tolerance principle to priority misconduct that undermines organizational trust—such as drunk driving, power abuse, and sexual misconduct—and to respond swiftly and sternly throughout the entire process from prevention to detection and action.
It plans to activate grievance channels and anonymous reporting systems for reporting workplace harassment and other misconduct, and to strengthen measures to protect whistleblowers and prevent secondary harm. If it is confirmed that improper orders or wrongful practices were left unchecked, downplayed, or concealed, it will also examine supervisory responsibility.
Controversy arose recently after it became known that a woman in her 20s, a civil servant with the Gwangju Fire Headquarters who died in October last year, had told her fiancé while alive that she suffered from forced excessive drinking and a drinking-centered office culture. In particular, allegations were raised that the Gwangju Fire Headquarters attributed the cause of death to conflict with the fiancé and ignored the bereaved family's request for an inspection regarding workplace harassment.
The National Fire Agency also decided to strengthen its response system in consideration of summer weather conditions and region-specific risk factors. Acting Commissioner Choi urged, "As disaster risks such as heat waves and torrential rain increase in the summer, each city and province should recheck region-specific risk factors and get ahead of predictable disasters with proactive preparation."