'Organizational Reform' National Fire Agency: "Listening to Lower-Ranking and Female Staff, Collecting Reports on Power Harassment Such as Coercion to Drink"

Regularized Fact-Finding Surveys for All Employees

Expansion of Audit Teams and Enhanced Legal Review Capabilities

Concrete Measures to Strengthen Accountability Through Personnel Actions

The National Fire Agency is taking measures to restore public trust and reinforce organizational discipline in the wake of the death of a female firefighter in Gwangju. The agency plans to conduct a thorough fact-finding survey to listen to the concerns of lower-ranking and female firefighters, and to evaluate the level of organizational culture improvement at each regional fire headquarters. In addition, the agency has announced it will collect reports of workplace power harassment in order to identify persistent issues within the organization, such as coercion to drink or attend work dinners, and personal errands mandated by superiors.

Yongcheol Choi, Acting Commissioner of the National Fire Agency

"We Must Restore Public Trust Through Deep Self-Reflection"

On June 26, Acting Commissioner Choi Yongcheol convened an emergency meeting of fire commanders nationwide at the main conference room of the National Fire Agency in Sejong City. At this meeting, participants discussed response strategies and organizational reform measures regarding recent incidents of workplace harassment and other problematic aspects of organizational culture.

More than 50 officials, including heads of regional fire headquarters, heads of audit departments at each fire headquarters, directors of the National Fire Agency, and heads of affiliated institutions, attended in person. In addition, approximately 350 others, including 242 fire station chiefs nationwide, fire administration chiefs at each regional headquarters, local fire school principals, heads of the 119 Special Rescue Unit, and directors of the 119 Safety Experience Center, participated via video conference.

Acting Commissioner Choi emphasized, "Workplace harassment and coercive acts can never be tolerated, as they undermine the very foundation of our organization," and stressed, "We must restore the public's trust through thorough and painful self-reflection." He added, "We will implement extraordinary improvement measures to restore lost trust and reestablish organizational discipline."

As a first step, the National Fire Agency will immediately replace its chief audit officer and begin a comprehensive personnel overhaul, starting with the removal from duty of those involved in the audit and inspection lines at the agency, the Gwangju Fire Headquarters, and the Gwangju Gwangsan Fire Station. Going forward, the agency plans to apply strict measures, such as immediate suspension from duty and restrictions on promotion, to any commander found to have condoned or overlooked power harassment, regardless of their rank or position.

An exhaustive and regularized fact-finding survey of the overall fire service organizational culture will be conducted. The survey will target all employees, regardless of whether they work at the central or local level, in administrative or field roles, by job function or rank, or by region or gender. In particular, the agency will focus on capturing the voices of lower-ranking field staff and the realities and difficulties faced by female firefighters.

Regular surveys will be conducted annually or semi-annually, and based on the results, the agency will objectively evaluate the level of organizational culture improvement at each regional fire headquarters.

On the 26th, the National Fire Agency held an emergency meeting of fire commanders nationwide at the National Fire Agency's main conference room in Sejong City, chaired by Acting Fire Chief Choi Yongcheol.

Power Harassment Reporting Period... Identifying Assault, Coercion to Drink, and More

Additionally, the National Fire Agency will implement a designated reporting period focused on power harassment and organizational misconduct in the workplace. To ensure complete anonymity and independence, the agency will utilize an external professional reporting platform.

During this reporting period, the agency plans to identify not only direct acts of verbal and physical abuse, but also chronic issues such as coercive drinking and work dinner requirements, and the misuse of authority for personal errands.

The agency will also improve the overall functions of its audit, inspection, and investigation operations. During nationwide special inspection periods led by the National Fire Agency, the agency will expand its inspection team by bringing in 18 experienced inspectors from regional headquarters. This will reinforce audit personnel and help ensure that on-site verification and investigation procedures are carried out more swiftly and thoroughly.

Six firefighters with legal qualifications will be assigned to the audit office to improve the professionalism and legal judgment capabilities of audits, inspections, and investigations. From the receipt of reports to the verification of facts, legal review, and decision-making, the agency will ensure that all tasks are handled more objectively and fairly.

Organization chart of the Fire Agency's "Organizational Culture Innovation Task Force."

Launch of Organizational Culture Innovation Task Force... Measures to Strengthen Accountability

To ensure responsible implementation of these measures, the National Fire Agency will operate the "Organizational Culture Innovation Task Force" for about three months, until September 30.

The task force will be led by Acting Commissioner Choi, with the agency's planning and coordination officer serving as deputy head. The task force will operate through separate divisions, including the Organizational Innovation Division, the Audit Enhancement Division, and the HR Innovation Division. Private sector experts will also participate to provide policy recommendations and advisory support.

The Organizational Innovation Division will develop organizational culture improvement measures to eradicate workplace power harassment and corrupt practices, while the Audit Enhancement Division will review ways to improve the effectiveness of reporting and audit systems, including the implementation of cross-inspections. The HR Innovation Division will work on specific measures to strengthen accountability, such as personnel actions against violators and responsible managers, restrictions on promotion, and removal from duty.

During the operation of the task force, the National Fire Agency will establish channels to widely collect feedback from the field. By incorporating input from lower-ranking staff, female firefighters, field personnel, and those in administrative, audit, and HR roles, the agency aims to devise effective improvement strategies.

Acting Commissioner Choi stated, "This meeting represents a pledge by the entire fire service organization to reflect on itself and commit to change before the public," adding, "We will lead responsible reform starting with the National Fire Agency itself, and will continue to monitor and push for organizational culture improvements until tangible changes are felt in the field."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.