17 fire officials placed on leave 8 months after female firefighter's death amid workplace abuse allegations

Seventeen fire officials found to have violated regulations in connection with the death of a female Gwangju firefighter — who is believed to have died by suicide following workplace abuse — have been placed on standby leave, about eight months after her death.

The Gwangju Fire Headquarters announced Monday that it placed 17 officials on standby leave on June 25, including six from the Gwangju Fire Headquarters, nine from the Gwangsan Fire Station and two from the National Fire Agency. The officials have been removed from their duties and will be referred to a personnel committee to determine the level of disciplinary action.

The measure follows a probe conducted from June 11 to June 24 by a joint government compliance inspection team under the Office for Government Policy Coordination, which confirmed multiple regulatory violations. The investigation found evidence of workplace gapjil against the deceased firefighter, identified only by her rank as fire engineer A, including coerced attendance at drinking gatherings and the dismissal of the bereaved family's formal request for an internal audit.

The firefighter, who was assigned to the Gwangsan Fire Station, died by suicide on Oct. 3 last year after repeatedly expressing distress over a coercive workplace culture that included excessive mandatory drinking events. She attended 24 such gatherings over 15 months and was reportedly pressured to down mixed shots in one go at some of them.

Investigators also confirmed she was ordered to sit next to male superiors — with instructions such as "sit between the chief and the section head" or "sit next to the section head" — and was made to handle event preparations and personal errands for her superiors.

It also emerged that after her death, the Gwangsan Fire Station closed its internal inquiry with a finding of "nothing unusual," despite a formal audit request from the bereaved family, and transferred a person identified only as B, who faces allegations of being among the perpetrators, to a key post at the Gwangju Fire Headquarters.

The Office for Government Policy Coordination called for strict disciplinary action against the 17 officials implicated in the misconduct and requested that two retired fire officials who bore supervisory responsibility be referred for investigation.

The Gwangju Fire Headquarters said it will review the degree of each official's involvement in the misconduct upon receiving the full investigation report and proceed with disciplinary proceedings accordingly.

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.