"I Really Didn't Want to Go Public..." Why Fiance Revealed Deceased Girlfriend's KakaoTalk Messages

[Fiance of Victim A / News Hunters: A new team leader was coming, and he loved drinking too much. That’s when (the victim's) worries began. She was afraid that if she got on his bad side, everything she had worked so hard to endure would be for nothing... That was the beginning.]

In October of last year, a woman in her 20s, identified as A, who worked for the Gwangju Fire Headquarters, took her own life.

While she was alive, A had consistently complained to her fiancé, B, about the pain caused by excessive forced drinking and the workplace culture surrounding company dinners.

[Reporter Kim Gyu-ri / News Hunters: There were messages saying things like, "I had to down four glasses of somaek (soju mixed with beer) as soon as I arrived at the company dinner," "I threw up 10 times during the team dinner," "They won't let me leave even when I'm drunk," "I feel like I'm going to die," and "I think I have to go to karaoke alone with the team leader."]

However, the death dismissal notice that was released stated that she had experienced difficulties in her relationship with her fiancé, B.

Upon discovering this belatedly, B requested an inspection from the Gwangju Fire Headquarters, but the process did not move forward for over five months. It was only after he visited the National Fire Agency, the superior organization, this past May that the inspection finally began.

The firefighters' union, which reported the case to SBS, stated, "There is no hope within Gwangju. No matter how many times we raise the issue, there seems to be no will to act."

[Fiance of Victim A / News Hunters: She would come home drunk at 7 p.m., or drunk at 9 p.m. On really late nights, they would keep her drinking at karaoke until 2:30 a.m... She would collapse and fall asleep in the entryway without even being able to change her clothes, and she would vomit as soon as she got home.]

Fiancé B expressed his frustration, saying, "I didn't want A to be the subject of gossip, but reporting this to the media was my last resort."

The Gwangju Fire Headquarters had a different stance.

[Official from Gwangju Fire Headquarters / News Hunters: If he had sent us an email with objective data, we probably would have given him an application form. I wouldn't feel so unfairly treated if he had no way to contact me, but since I told him everything, it is quite absurd for him to ask why we didn't investigate.]

They claimed that after B said he would submit documentation, he did not follow up.

However, an internal report obtained by SBS stated that "it is necessary to verify the facts of the death dismissal notice" and that "a re-investigation will be conducted."

This shows that the Gwangju Fire Headquarters also acknowledged the need for a re-investigation.

President Lee Jae-myung cited the SBS report, stating, "It is truly deplorable," and ordered a thorough investigation led by the Office for Government Policy Coordination.

Separately from this case, it was revealed that one of the superiors identified as a perpetrator had already been reported to the internal anonymous reporting system for other allegations of workplace bullying.

Reported by Lee Se-young | Video by Lee Da-in | Video Source: News Hunters | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.