A woman in her 20s, identified as A, who had been working as a contract radiologist at a general hospital in Gunsan, Jeonbuk, for one month, was found dead in a flower bed at an apartment complex on June 29.

It was reported that A had stopped coming to work and had been unreachable since June 26.

Although no suicide note was found, the bereaved family claims that A had suffered from extreme stress due to workplace bullying before her death.

The family stated, "She began taking medication because the hospital work was too difficult, and she was struggling significantly even though she had been employed for less than a month."

Specifically, they alleged, "They would instruct her to go to a certain building, only to reprimand her for going there upon her return, and she told us that staff members would gather together while excluding her."

As police conduct an investigation, including a forensic analysis of the deceased's mobile phone, claims from a former employee have emerged suggesting that a culture of workplace bullying existed at the hospital.

B, a former employee in their 20s, stated, "During my time there, I was told several times that I had to follow the 'military-style' culture," adding, "There were instances where we were forced to go to the cafeteria together against our will, and instead of using professional titles, staff were called 'hey,' 'you,' or 'that one'."

B also claimed that, contrary to the employment contract, they were required to arrive at the hospital at 7:30 a.m., one hour earlier than the scheduled start time, and worked six days a week instead of the alternating Saturday schedule that had been promised.

B reportedly asked if it was possible to take at least one Saturday off per month, but was told that "superiors don't take time off either."

In particular, B mentioned that it was difficult to endure an organizational culture where, if a mistake was made during work, one would be scolded or humiliated in front of others rather than being taught the correct method.

In response, the hospital stated that workplace bullying has not yet been confirmed and asked for an objective perspective, noting that the claims made by former employees could be one-sided.

The hospital further stated that it has commissioned an external labor attorney to investigate the exact facts and requested that the public refrain from premature criticism of the hospital's culture until the results are released.

Reported by Jung Da-eun | Video by Ryu Ji-soo | Graphics by Yang Hye-min | Produced by SBS Digital News