President Lee Jae-myung has ordered his cabinet to conduct a thorough investigation into the death of a female firefighter last year, following allegations that a fire department forced her to drink alcohol and ignored her family's request for an internal inspection.
Lee linked an article on the matter on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday and said, "It is truly deplorable that such old-fashioned public officials still exist." He instructed, "Investigate thoroughly not only the cause and circumstances of the firefighter's death, including the company dinner and forced drinking, but also the circumstances behind the dismissal of the inspection request. To ensure objectivity, the investigating body should be the Office for Government Policy Coordination, not the National Fire Agency."
He continued, "If the investigation reveals that forced drinking and the dismissal of the inspection request are true, I will impose the maximum punishment possible, including disciplinary action, criminal prosecution, and civil damages followed by indemnity claims, so that malicious workplace abuse such as forced drinking at company dinners, and the concealment or dismissal of corruption, can never even be imagined again in this country."
Lee added, "I have ordered the cabinet to take such measures," and expressed his condolences, saying, "I sincerely pray for the repose of the deceased and offer my deepest condolences to the bereaved family and relatives."
According to reports, the Gwangju Fire Headquarters stated in an official document that relationship problems with her fiancé were the cause of death of a female firefighter in her 20s, identified as A, who took her own life in October last year. A's fiancé, identified as B, objected to this and requested an inspection from the headquarters, citing evidence such as text messages in which the deceased had complained during her lifetime about difficulties with the excessive drinking culture at her workplace. The headquarters did not conduct an inspection for more than five months, and was found to have begun the inspection last month, only after B and the bereaved family visited the National Fire Agency, the higher-level body.
