President Lee Condemns Death of Female Firefighter: "How Could This Happen... The Worst Form of Workplace Abuse"

▲ President Lee Jae-myung reviews documents during a Cabinet meeting and emergency economic inspection meeting held at the Blue House on the 23rd.

President Lee Jae-myung criticized the recent death of a female firefighter who had reported workplace harassment, including being forced to drink alcohol, stating, "This is what we call workplace abuse, and it is the worst kind."

During the Cabinet meeting and emergency economic inspection meeting he presided over at the Blue House today (the 23rd), President Lee mentioned the case and said, "I asked the Office for Government Policy Coordination to investigate a while ago, and they reported that everything turned out to be true."

Expressing his sorrow, President Lee said, "How severe must the suffering of the deceased have been? How heartbroken must her boyfriend and family be, and how painful was it for them to have their pleas for an investigation ignored?" He added, "If you put yourself in their shoes, how could this happen"

He continued, "The problem is that they do not realize how serious such behavior is," pointing out, "There is a tendency to think, 'It is just having a drink and spending some time together; a subordinate should be able to do that much.'"

He further remarked, "It might have been possible in the past, but this happened recently. How could this happen" He ordered a review of the culture across the entire public service sector.

President Lee urged, "I ask each ministry, agency, and office to conduct an internal organizational review," and added, "Please take special care to ensure that such incidents never happen again."

Previously, on the 11th, President Lee addressed the case of a female firefighter who passed away last year on social media, noting allegations of forced drinking by the fire department and the dismissal of the bereaved family's request for an inspection. He had ordered, "Thoroughly investigate the cause and circumstances of the firefighter's death, including the forced drinking and company dinners, as well as the reasons why the request for an inspection was ignored. To ensure objectivity, the investigation should be conducted by the Office for Government Policy Coordination, not the National Fire Agency."

(Photo: Yonhap News)

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