▲ Press conference regarding workplace bullying among nurses at Seoul Medical Center
"My job is already hard enough, and it is so annoying to be stressed out by someone young enough to be my daughter."
Nurse A, working at Seoul Medical Center, stated that she had to repeatedly endure reprimands of this nature from her workplace superior, B, in addition to frequent night shifts and heavy workloads.
Allegations have been raised that workplace bullying continues at the same hospital, following the 2019 death of the late nurse Seo Ji-yoon, who took her own life due to the deeply entrenched practice of "taeum"—a slang term referring to senior nurses abusing junior staff.
The Seoul branch of the Medical Solidarity Union under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions held a press conference in front of the Cheong Wa Dae fountain square in Jongno-gu today (July 28), urging the Seoul Metropolitan Government and Seoul Medical Center to step forward and uncover the truth regarding the allegations of workplace bullying against Nurse A.
According to the union, starting in April of last year, Nurse A suffered not only from excessive workloads caused by staff shortages, but also from reprimands used as an outlet for B's anger.
Nurse A reported that despite working overtime on multiple occasions, her extra hours were not recognized, and she did not receive overtime pay.
She also claimed that she was reprimanded even when trying to take time off for leave.
She stated that she filed a complaint regarding workplace bullying with the labor office last month, and on the 2nd of this month, sent an email to the general director of Seoul Medical Center appealing about the staffing shortages and harassment. However, she received a response to the effect that "administrative efficiency will be achieved once AI is introduced."
Through a proxy-read statement on this day, Nurse A expressed her distress, saying, "I worked tirelessly through the early morning hours and on weekends, but the perpetrator shifted all the blame onto me. They only told me to 'change my attitude' or 'just do a good job,' without considering the workload or taking realistic steps for improvement."
She added, "After coming to this hospital, I learned the definition of 'taeum.' Rather than a single instance of severe verbal abuse, repetitive and continuous reprimands deepen psychological suffering."
She emphasized, "Even after nurse Seo passed away, the structure remains where the perpetrator stays and the victim leaves, repeating structural bullying in poor working environments. We must protect victims through laws and systems and exclude perpetrators from the workplace."
The union demanded that Seoul Medical Center protect Nurse A and investigate the truth, while urging the government to come up with measures to eradicate taeum that reflect frontline opinions.
Following the death of nurse Seo in 2019, Seoul Medical Center had previously announced five major innovation measures, including the development of a standard manual to prevent workplace bullying, the establishment of an emotional labor protection committee, and the operation of a dedicated nurse support team.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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