Seoul Medical Center hit by fresh workplace bullying allegations, seven years after nurse's death

Seoul Medical Center, where a nurse died seven years ago after being subjected to a form of workplace bullying known as "taeum," is facing fresh allegations of the same abuse.

The Medical Solidarity Seoul Branch of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions' Public Transport Workers' Union held a press conference Tuesday in front of the fountain at Cheong Wa Dae in Jongno-gu, calling on the Seoul Metropolitan Government and Seoul Medical Center to step forward and investigate workplace harassment allegations against a nurse identified only as A.

According to the union, Nurse A has since April last year faced not only an excessive workload caused by staff shortages but also repeated venting-style reprimands from a colleague identified only as B.

Nurse A worked overtime on multiple occasions but was not credited for the extra hours and received no additional pay, the union said. She also said she was reprimanded whenever she tried to take leave.

She filed a workplace harassment complaint with the labor office last month and on July 2 sent an email to the head of Seoul Medical Center describing the staff shortages and harassment. She received a reply suggesting that "administrative efficiency would improve once AI is introduced," she said.

In a statement read aloud on her behalf Tuesday, Nurse A said, "I worked early mornings and weekends, but the perpetrator shifted all the blame onto me," adding, "'Change your attitude' and 'just do better' were all I was told — there was no consideration of my workload and no realistic steps to improve things."

"Coming to this hospital is where I learned the meaning of taeum," she said. "It is not one explosive outburst but repeated, sustained criticism that deepens the psychological pain."

She went on to say, "Even after Nurse Seo left, the perpetrator stays and the victim leaves — structural harassment in a harsh working environment keeps repeating itself. The law and the system must protect victims and remove perpetrators from the workplace."

The union demanded that Seoul Medical Center protect Nurse A and conduct a full investigation, while also calling on the government to draw up measures to eradicate taeum that reflect conditions on the ground.

After Nurse Seo died in 2019, Seoul Medical Center announced five reform measures, including developing a standard manual for preventing workplace harassment, establishing an emotional labor protection committee and operating a dedicated nurse support team.