Female firefighter forced to call boss 'oppa,' attend 24 drinking sessions before death by suicide, probe finds

A government joint investigation into the death of a female firefighter at Gwangju's Gwangsan Fire Station, who died by suicide after enduring workplace harassment, has confirmed widespread gapjil — abuse of power by superiors — and a deeply inadequate institutional response. The probe also found that authorities ignored the bereaved family's demands for a full inquiry and that the victim suffered secondary harm even after her death.

According to findings released Wednesday by the Government Joint Public Service Inspection Team under the Office for Government Policy Coordination, the firefighter — identified only as A, a fire officer who was 28 at the time — was forced to attend drinking sessions 24 times over roughly 15 months before she died last October.

Some of those gatherings extended to 2 a.m. at noraebangs and nightclubs. During the sessions, she was repeatedly subjected to inappropriate demands: being told to sit between the station chief and a department head, to pour drinks for the station chief, and to address a superior informally as "oppa," a Korean term typically used by women when speaking to older male acquaintances.

Beyond her official duties, she was also pressed into personal errands for her superiors. These included preparing food at the funeral services of a former station chief's father and father-in-law, assisting at a weekend retirement ceremony, driving a superior's vehicle, and being asked to bring back alcohol or coffee when returning from leave.

The misconduct continued even after her death. The Gwangju Fire Headquarters recorded the cause of death in official dismissal documents as though it stemmed from a personal dispute with her fiancé.

Officials also obtained her psychological counseling records without authorization, selectively excerpted portions of the material, and sent the documents — with those records attached — to 15 related departments while leaving them publicly accessible, exposing the information externally.

Gwangsan Fire Station conducted no separate fact-finding inquiry despite requests from the bereaved family, instead concluding there were "no unusual circumstances" surrounding her death. The department head accused of gapjil personally led the internal inquiry, raising serious questions about its impartiality.

The Gwangju Fire Headquarters, the supervising body, handled a complaint submitted through its anonymous reporting system "Red Whistle" in a perfunctory manner shortly after the incident. When the victim's fiancé raised additional concerns, the agency said it would investigate only "if objective evidence is submitted."

The National Fire Agency did not consider launching a separate audit for about five months — until the bereaved family visited in person to raise the issue. It had still not conducted face-to-face interviews with those involved as of June 11, when the Office for Government Policy Coordination began its inspection.

Lee Chang-seok, national chairman of the firefighters' union, said the case was a product of a deeply entrenched culture within the fire service that favors superiors while mistreating subordinates. "An authoritarian culture centered on superiors and a closed organizational atmosphere allowed workplace gapjil to go unchecked and made it nearly impossible to speak up," he said.

"This will be recorded as a case in which a fire service organization — one that exists to protect the lives and safety of the public — failed to protect the human rights and dignity of its own members," Lee added. "All those responsible and complicit must be held strictly accountable based on the full truth that has now come to light, so that these practices can be changed."

Based on the investigation's findings, the Office for Government Policy Coordination said it would request disciplinary action against a total of 17 people — nine from Gwangsan Fire Station, six from Gwangju Fire Headquarters, and two from the National Fire Agency. Two individuals who have already retired will be referred for criminal investigation.

The office said it would also separately refer additional suspected legal violations uncovered during the inspection — including alleged gambling-related conduct at Gwangsan Fire Station — to investigators.

Experts say the case exposes systemic failures that go beyond individual misconduct, pointing to gaps in organizational culture and internal oversight. They are calling for institutional reforms, including independent investigation mechanisms that exclude parties with conflicts of interest when workplace harassment complaints are filed, as well as stronger protections for victims and measures to prevent secondary harm.

If you're thinking about self-harm or suicide, contact the Ministry of Health and Welfare's helpline 1393, available 24/7. Please request a translator for English-language services.