Climate Ministry Union: "Death of Official in 30s Result of Demanding Only Performance"

Climate Ministry Union Issues Statement on July 28

The labor union has called for a thorough investigation and the implementation of prevention measures following the recent death of a Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment official in their 30s, who was found dead at their home.

In a statement released on July 28, the union pointed out that the incident was “the result of an accumulation of an operational system that has consumed people by demanding only results, and of a structure that has relied on sacrifices at the field level without securing enough staff to match the increasing workload.”

Signboard of the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment Building. Photo by Yonhap News.

After gathering employees’ opinions following the incident, the union revealed that there were numerous testimonies about repeated scolding during work as well as behavior that failed to respect individual dignity. Many pointed out that employees were expected to rely solely on their individual abilities, with insufficient explanation or training, both when learning job tasks and when seeking assistance. Although opportunities were provided for sharing workplace difficulties, many felt these measures were merely procedural and did not bring about substantial improvement.

Based on staff feedback, the union demanded a thorough investigation and the establishment of recurrence prevention measures, expansion of the workforce in line with the organization’s roles, the elimination of out-of-hours work instructions, reinforcement of the duty of protection by executives including division, bureau, and department heads, the creation of a support system for new employees’ organizational adaptation, and genuine improvement of organizational culture.

The union also insisted that the ministry prepare concrete plans for implementing these demands and provide regular updates on progress, warning that it would hold the organization accountable by all possible means if real and immediate changes are not made.

On July 16, a Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment official in their 30s was found dead at their home, amid suspicions that workplace harassment and excessive workloads were contributing factors. The deceased was a second-year public official reportedly responsible for climate adaptation and energy policy duties.

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