"Every Day Feels Like Hell": The Death of a 27-Year-Old Nurse Reveals the Stark Reality of "Taeum"

Three Years of Workplace Harassment Allegations
Disciplinary Action Limited to a "Warning" Despite Labor Ministry’s Partial Recognition
16,373 Reports of Workplace Harassment Filed Last Year

The revelation that a nurse in her 20s, who had claimed to have suffered from so-called "Taeum" for nearly three years, has passed away is fueling public outrage over the persistent practice of workplace harassment in hospitals. On June 29, MBC News Desk reported that a 27-year-old nurse, who had endured Taeum for almost three years, died earlier this month.

Three years earlier, after starting her dream job in a nurse’s uniform, Ms. Kang reported being subjected to harassment by senior nurses from the very beginning of her employment. "Taeum" refers to a hospital malpractice in which senior nurses break in new nurses through abusive language, ostracism, and humiliation under the pretense of training, deriving from the phrase "burning the soul until it turns to ashes."

'Taeeum' refers to a harmful hospital practice where senior nurses subject new nurses to verbal abuse, ostracism, and humiliation under the pretext of training them, originating from the expression "burning the soul to ashes." The photo is an AI-generated image. ChatGPT

According to the report, Ms. Kang was told by a senior nurse in front of her colleagues, "I can burn you until you die," or words to that effect. Her mother recalled, "After work, she came to her room and cried a lot as she talked about it." Ms. Kang’s diary entries vividly describe the pain caused by the harassment. The diary includes statements such as, "No one greets me. I made an effort not to greet people, fearing it might bring trouble," and, "Every day feels like hell. But if I quit, I won’t be able to pay the rent. I have to keep jumping into that hell."

Ms. Kang reportedly told her mother, "If I work a little harder and try to be friendlier to my seniors, maybe things will get better," and, "Mom, I’ll try to hang in there a bit longer. I want to endure." However, she ultimately could not withstand the bullying and resigned in April of last year. After leaving, Ms. Kang filed a complaint with the Ministry of Employment and Labor, and some aspects of workplace harassment were acknowledged. However, among the three individuals she identified as perpetrators, only one was recognized for harassment, and the hospital’s disciplinary action was limited to a "warning" for that individual.

Afterward, Ms. Kang reportedly suffered a great shock upon learning that all those she had identified were still working at the hospital. Her family claims that she continued to suffer due to memories of the incident and its outcome even after quitting. The hospital told MBC, "We offered a department transfer, but the victim declined," and explained, "We took the necessary measures according to the Ministry of Labor’s corrective order."

Reports of Workplace Harassment Increase Eightfold Since System Implementation

This case is causing a stir, as it highlights that the chronic issue of "Taeum" in the nursing profession continues to repeat itself. Although workplace harassment prevention measures have been strengthened since several nurse deaths due to Taeum were reported in 2018, there are still widespread fears and concerns about retaliation, with many believing, "If you report it, you get marked."

Photo shows a press conference held in 2020 by the Citizen Countermeasure Committee for the Death of Nurse Seo Ji-yoon Due to Workplace Bullying at Seoul Medical Center, urging recognition of the nurse's death as a work-related injury. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

In fact, reports of workplace harassment have increased every year. According to public data from the Ministry of Employment and Labor regarding the handling of workplace harassment reports, the number of such cases has grown from 11,038 in 2023, to 13,601 in 2024, and 16,373 in 2025. Compared to the first year of the system’s implementation in 2019, when there were 2,130 cases, this represents an increase of about eightfold in six years.

Reports of harassment within medical institutions have also shown a clear upward trend. According to data submitted by Assemblyman Deukgu Kang, a member of the National Assembly’s Environment and Labor Committee, the number of workplace harassment reports in medical institutions increased from 731 cases in 2022, to 765 in 2023, and 1,128 in 2024. This 2024 figure represents a 47.5% increase over the previous year. Even by August 2025, 792 cases had already been reported, surpassing the annual total for 2023.

More Than Half of Nurses Report Human Rights Violations in Past Year

The actual situation of human rights violations against nurses is also at a serious level. In a survey conducted by the Korean Nurses Association targeting 788 nurses from medical institutions nationwide, more than half responded that they had experienced human rights violations within the past year. The most common types of harm included verbal abuse, workplace harassment, and abuse of power. The perpetrators were identified as senior nurses, doctors, patients, and caregivers.

Nurses' human rights violations are also at a serious level. In a survey conducted by the Korean Nurses Association targeting 788 nurses from medical institutions nationwide, more than half responded that they had experienced human rights violations within the past year. The Asia Business Daily

Experts point to the closed nature of hospital organizations, strong hierarchical culture, staff shortages, and excessive work burden due to shift work as the structural causes that perpetuate Taeum. In particular, during the training process where new nurses are expected to quickly build proficiency, verbal abuse and humiliation are often disguised as "training," leaving victims unable to even raise the issue.

The workplace harassment prevention law requires employers to promptly conduct an objective investigation when a report is received or when they become aware of harassment, and to take measures to protect the victim. However, in reality, criticisms persist that internal investigations lack fairness, that perpetrators and victims are not properly separated, that there is little protection from retaliation after reporting, and that disciplinary action is ineffective.

Following Ms. Kang’s death, online commenters have reacted with statements such as, "Was a warning sufficient punishment?" and, "The problem is that the victim quit while the perpetrators remain." Both inside and outside the nursing field, there are growing calls to address Taeum not as a personal conflict, but as an issue of organizational culture and working conditions, with demands for independent hospital-level investigation systems, external oversight, additional staffing, and stronger protections for whistleblowers.

* If you or someone you know is struggling with depression or difficult concerns, you can receive 24-hour counseling from experts by calling the suicide prevention hotline at 109.

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