Fire Agency in Turmoil Following Chief's Resignation and Mass Disciplinary Actions

The National Fire Agency is in a state of turmoil following the recent resignation of its chief and the expectation of mass disciplinary actions over allegations of forced drinking and the suppression of internal investigations.

According to the government on June 24, the Prime Minister's Office's joint inspection team for public service discipline criticized the agency's organizational culture as "pre-modern." The team has requested disciplinary action against a total of 17 individuals, including two from the agency's headquarters, six from the Gwangju Fire and Safety Headquarters, and nine from the Gwangsan Fire Station.

The disciplinary measures stem from their alleged responsibility in the death of a firefighter at the Gwangsan Fire Station, identified as Fire Lieutenant A, who took their own life last October at the age of 28. Allegations include forcing the victim to attend drinking parties, coercing them to consume alcohol, making sexually offensive remarks, and ignoring the bereaved family's requests for an investigation.

From July 2024 until just before their death, Fire Lieutenant A was forced to attend 24 drinking gatherings over a 15-month period, where they were pressured to "down" shots of mixed liquor. The victim was also instructed to sit next to male superiors and forced to call them "oppa" (a term used by females for older males).

Fire Lieutenant A was even subjected to running personal errands.

The victim was expected to buy gifts for superiors when they traveled abroad and was tasked with preparing the funeral altar for a superior who had suffered a bereavement.

After Fire Lieutenant A passed away, neither the requests for an investigation from the bereaved family nor the complaints raised by the victim's partner were handled properly.

It was found that even after the National Civil Service Union's fire agency branch filed a complaint on May 12, no face-to-face interviews with the individuals involved were conducted for over a month.

To make matters worse, gambling activities within the Gwangsan Fire Station were also uncovered during the inspection process.

With these compounding negative events, following the resignation of former Fire Agency Commissioner Kim Seung-ryong—who stepped down just three months into his term while under investigation for alleged personal misconduct—reports suggest that morale within the agency has plummeted.

An official from the National Fire Agency stated, "Allegations of workplace bullying should never occur, and any pre-modern organizational culture must be rooted out," adding, "As an organization dedicated to serving public safety, morale is of the utmost importance."

The National Fire Agency plans to form a task force for organizational culture innovation to conduct a survey on workplace bullying among all firefighters nationwide.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.