Ministry Official in 30s Found Dead... Union Calls for Investigation into Workplace Bullying

Found Dead at Home in Sejong City on July 16
Minister of Climate, Energy and Environment to Hold 'Listening Session' Focused on Junior Staff

A 30-something official from the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment was found dead at home, and suspicions have been raised that workplace bullying and excessive workload were the causes.

The signboard of the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment inside the Government Complex Sejong. Photo by Yonhap News.

According to the ministry's labor union and other sources on July 23, official A from the ministry was found dead at their home in Sejong City on July 16.

Official A was a young civil servant in their early 30s and in the second year of service, reportedly responsible for work related to climate adaptation and energy policy.

The union stated that it had received whistleblower reports indicating that A had complained of an excessive workload and suffered workplace bullying by a superior and called for a thorough investigation.

In fact, on the anonymous bulletin board used by ministry staff, posts reportedly described how A experienced personal attacks and insulting remarks while working, and, though A expressed distress and difficulties with the work, only received reprimanding responses in return.

The police have obtained material from the bereaved family containing evidence related to workplace bullying and are verifying the facts. The ministry's audit office is also conducting its own internal audit. The superior identified as the alleged perpetrator of workplace bullying has currently been removed from their duties.

Minister Kim Sunghwan, in a message to staff immediately after the incident, wrote, "We will look into whether there was any aspect of work processes or organizational culture in the ministry that may have exhausted or troubled colleagues." To that end, the ministry has decided to organize a "task force centered on junior staff" and to hold "listening meetings."

However, it is known that internal staff are skeptical about these measures. Employees pointed to differences in organizational culture and a shortage of staff as the root causes of the incident, citing the integration of personnel from the former Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy after the establishment of the new department. Large-scale issues such as establishing national greenhouse gas reduction targets and planning power and water supply for the three major mega-projects were concentrated within the ministry, but staffing increases were insufficient, which substantially raised the workload for junior officials.

In an interview with Yonhap News, a branch official remarked, "The ministry is assigned massive missions like mega projects, but the headcount remains unchanged, resulting in a staff shortage," and added, "Although Minister Kim said he would strive to improve organizational culture, there has been no concrete effort."

Meanwhile, the ministry has designated this week as a mourning period and set up a memorial space at its headquarters. After the mourning period ends, the audit office will spearhead further internal investigation. The climate ministry branch of the Korean Government Employees' Union also plans to gather staff opinions after the mourning period this week and call on Minister Kim to take responsibility starting next week.

A union official stated, "We plan to collect statements about the situation at that time from the late official's acquaintances and colleagues from the same department," adding, "If workplace bullying is confirmed, we will demand measures to prevent recurrence and hold those involved accountable."

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