The Ministry of Employment and Labor has launched a labor inspection into a hospital in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, following the death of a nurse in her 20s who took her own life after suffering from workplace bullying, known in Korea as taeum.

It is reported that the deceased nurse, identified as A, was subjected to repeated verbal abuse and harassment by her senior colleagues.

A is said to have suffered severe psychological distress, including being told by a senior nurse in front of her colleagues, "I can torment you until you die."

In A's diary, the traces of her suffering from the bullying were evident, with entries such as, "They don't acknowledge my greetings. I tried hard to greet them even when they ignored me, fearing it might lead to unfavorable consequences."

A eventually resigned from the hospital in April of last year and reported the workplace bullying to the local labor office.

The labor office recognized workplace bullying for only one of the three individuals identified by A as perpetrators and instructed the hospital to take corrective action.

However, it was reported that the hospital's only disciplinary action was a "reprimand" for that one individual, and no measures were taken against the other two.

Critics have argued that the authorities' response was insufficient, as the labor office only determines whether bullying occurred, while the level of disciplinary action is left to the hospital's discretion.

In response, the Gyeonggi Regional Employment and Labor Office and the Seongnam Branch announced that they would conduct a thorough investigation into the allegations of workplace bullying against the deceased, as well as check for any additional victims among all employees.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor also stated that it views the culture of bullying among nurses, known as taeum, as a persistent issue. Consequently, the ministry plans to conduct additional labor inspections at hospitals across regions where multiple reports or tips regarding bullying have been filed.

Reported by Jung Da-eun | Video by Lee Ui-seon | Graphics by Yang Hye-min | Produced by SBS Digital News | Video Source: Morning Wide 3