Gwangju: The government has announced plans to pursue disciplinary actions against 17 fire officials following revelations that a female firefighter in Gwangju was coerced into attending unwanted after-work gatherings and drinking sessions prior to her suicide last year, officials reported Wednesday.
According to Yonhap News Agency, officials at the fire station disregarded a request from the firefighter's family for an investigation into alleged workplace harassment. They also released, without consent, the details of counseling she had received due to anxiety concerning her relationship with her fianc©, the office for government policy coordination revealed.
The government initiated a two-week inspection after President Lee Jae Myung mandated a thorough investigation earlier this month. The firefighter tragically ended her life in October, and although no suicide note was recovered, her family insisted she had expressed distress over late-night obligations imposed by her workplace.
Initially, the fire station dismissed the family's investigation request, concluding after a brief inquiry that no irregularities were present. Dissatisfied, the family and her fianc© escalated the matter to a higher fire agency, but no substantive investigation ensued for several months. It was only when the case reached the National Fire Agency that a comprehensive probe was conducted, subsequently taken over by the office for government policy coordination following President Lee's directive.
The office has stated its intention to inform the National Police Agency of the inspection's findings and to demand stringent actions against the 17 implicated officials.