Four Employees Charged in Workplace Bullying Case Following Tragic Death of Colleague

In a tragic incident involving a 30-year-old man who worked at Jeonbuk Jangsu Agricultural Cooperative, four employees have been charged with workplace bullying. The Namwon branch of the Jeonju District Prosecutors' Office announced on February 17, 2025, that they have filed charges against four individuals, including a manager identified as A, for violations of the Labor Standards Act and threats. Additionally, two corporations, including the agricultural cooperative and a related labor consulting firm, have also been charged.

The charges stem from the case of employee B, who was found dead in his vehicle in January 2023. Investigations revealed that A and others had subjected B to workplace harassment over the course of a year, starting in January 2022. They allegedly issued unreasonable work orders, such as instructing B to go to Noryangjin to buy king crab and threatening disciplinary action for perceived incompetence.

Following B's death, which occurred just three months after his marriage, the Ministry of Employment and Labor conducted a special inspection that confirmed the bullying allegations. The prosecution stated that A and the others harassed B due to dissatisfaction with his work performance and assured that they would seek appropriate punishment for the accused.