With regard to the death of a Gwangju fire official, the firefighters' union criticized it as inappropriate for the Gwangju Fire Headquarters to handle the disciplinary process for those responsible. Since a government probe found that the deceased suffered workplace harassment, including being forced to drink, the union argued that an independent body should also handle the discipline.
The Firefighters' Labor Union of the Korean Government Employees' Union Federation issued a statement on the 10th, saying, "Letting the Gwangju Fire Headquarters handle discipline for those responsible in the death of a female fire official is like putting a cat in charge of a fish."
The union noted that because the Gwangju Fire Headquarters itself failed to properly process the bereaved family's request for an internal probe, it will be hard to trust the outcome if the same organization also takes charge of the disciplinary process.
"No matter what the outcome is, the public will not be able to trust it," the union said. "The Gwangju Fire Headquarters ignored the request for an internal probe and failed to do its job, and given this particularity, a separate, independent body should be in charge of discipline."
The case surfaced when allegations arose that a female firefighter in her 20s with the Gwangju Fire Safety Headquarters died by suicide after suffering power abuse and harassment at work last year.
According to an investigation by the Government Joint Public Service Inspection Team under the Office for Government Policy Coordination, the deceased had suffered workplace harassment, including being forced to drink. The probe found she attended 24 department gatherings from July 2024 to October last year, and some gatherings continued late into the night at nightclubs and karaoke rooms. It also uncovered indications that she was forced to take "one-shot" bomb shots at the table.
The investigation also confirmed improper demands involving superiors. She was forced at gatherings to sit next to superiors such as the station chief and call them "oppa," and it was found they made her bring back alcohol when returning from overseas trips or summoned her to a funeral to set the table.
The union sees the case as connected not only to individual misconduct but also to the fire service's closed organizational culture. "To improve the fire service's closed organizational culture, a probe and disciplinary framework or body that includes union participation must be established," it said. "The reasons and outcomes of discipline must also be disclosed transparently so the public can accept them."
The Gwangju Fire Headquarters has received the report from the Office for Government Policy Coordination and is discussing disciplinary levels for 15 people involved. Those under review include six with the Gwangju Fire Headquarters and nine with the Gwangsan Fire Station.
However, the National Fire Agency is directly handling discipline for two of its officials, for whom rule violations were confirmed, including ignoring the bereaved family's request for an internal probe.