On the 12th, a local employee of Nonghyup in Jeonbuk, surnamed Lee (32), complained that he was constantly bullied at work by an executive, and made an extreme choice in the parking lot in front of his workplace. His younger brother said the story after his brother’s death.
Mr. said Lee Jin, younger brother of the late Mr. Lee, in an interview on Jun Da-un’s ‘New Talk 530’ on CBS Radio on the 26th, “Continuous harassment began when center A took over in 2022, and on September 27. last year, he made the first extreme choice “( In the end, my brother) extreme choice in front of the Nonghyup material warehouse where he worked.”
According to the bereaved family, Mr. Lee with Nonghyup in 2009, and after Mr A, an executive officer, took over as director of the center in January last year, he began to be harassed at work by his two superiors, including Mr. A. When Mr. Lee had a different opinion to Mr A’s one-sided and unreasonable work instructions, he heard a number of insulting comments, such as “What is your rank, you are being bullied for working like this”.
And rebuke Mr. Lee, saying, “Why are you making parking easier?” Although Mr. Lee parked in front of an office worker agricultural goods center. Are you there, are you out of your mind?”
In addition, Mr. Lee’s family situation is rich, saying, “I am lucky because I am rich,” “I am rich, so I buy a king crab (with my own money),” “Why are you using the Corona 19 rapid test Kit at work, fill it out again?” He was even verbally mocked.
Lee, unable to endure the bullying that continued for several months after that, made an extreme choice for the first time on September 27 last year, about two weeks before the wedding. At that time, fortunately, his life was saved when he was discovered through a report by his family, and the Nonghyup appointed an outside labor attorney to launch his own investigation into workplace harassment.
However, as a result of the official investigation on December 5 last year, the Nonghyup judged that two people, including A, were innocent through the discussion committee. The reason was that there was no charge as a result of the consultative committee’s investigation based on the investigation report by the external labor attorney employed by the Nonghyup.
Mr. was accepted. Lee was even hospitalized due to depression caused by bullying, and eventually died on the 12th after making an extreme choice in leaving his car parked in the car park near the Nonghyup where he was work.
The bereaved family insisted that Mr. Lee made another extreme choice and died due to the secondary attack because the Nonghyup did not separate the perpetrator and the victim during the investigation. He also added that it appears that the external labor attorney employed by the Nonghyup made a decision in favor of the Nonghyup side because he knew Mr A from the past.
Regarding the bullying his older brother suffered, Mr. Lee, “The basics are just insulting and taunting personalities, and making sure that the relationship between the top and the bottom, like stamping (acts). There was also a case of money extortion. According to the will, (my brother was told by his superiors) to go to Noryangjin (fish market) in Seoul and buy a king crab, and he took a taxi and bought it at his own expense. “
He continued, “My older brother usually had diseases of the colon and anus, and (bosses) used CCTV to find out his personal movement and even checked how many times he went to the bathroom and put facial expression to him. There was no privacy either. It was an act of blasphemy,” he added.
The younger brother, Mr. Lee, too, “For clear evidence, my brother had a diary at his PC work where he recorded their actions and mood in detail along with the time and date. I trusted the labor attorney and I told everyone, but after returning from paid leave, all the computers were disposed of,” raising suspicions of destruction of evidence.
Regarding this, the labor attorney said, “Although he is acquainted with Mr. And, he did not present it even though he was asking for evidence and favorable references for Mr. Lee, so it was held that there was no doubt. There is no fact that Mr A was told that there was evidence on Mr. A’s computer. Lee. It did not affect the investigation process. I didn’t cheat or manipulate,” he insisted.
Previously, Nonghyup’s side also expressed its position that he was appointed without knowing the relationship between the labor attorney and the culprit, and that there was no problem as the two were not very close. The Nonghyup also said, “This is just Lee’s one-sided argument about workplace bullying,” adding, “There is no discussion of inspections or additional measures to prevent this from happening again.”
The bereaved family has lodged a complaint with the Ministry of Labor and the audit office of the National Agricultural Co-operative Federation against those who bully in the workplace and those responsible for neglecting and tolerating the bullying.
The younger brother, Mr. Lee, “My older brother was a naive and loving person. He was a person who tried to spread everything and give without sparing his own,” he said. In elementary, middle and high school, he wrestled and won many medals at the National Sports Festival. In college, he always showed leadership and confidence, like being the head of the department,” he recalled.
He said, “Even at work, until Mr. And take over, I had fun with my company life, like employees coming home, playing with me, and introducing me to my parents. Although (the Nonghyup side) could announce an official personnel appointment, only structural instructions were given. There was no separation from the criminals for two weeks before the death. When I usually look at KakaoTalk, my brother said that looking at the three letters of their names makes his teeth shake and his whole body shake.”
Finally, the younger brother, Lee, said, “There must be a lot of people who suffer from bullying at work, whether big or small. However, it is not recognized in practice, so I think there are many people who suffer like my brother,” he said. “There may be physical violence, but the mental pain is the most serious. Through this event, I want to make sure that the law on harassment in the workplace is amended and create an environment where everyone can work with a smile without harm.”
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Employment and Labor announced on the 27th that it would carry out special labor supervision for the Nonghyup. This supervision is the first special labor supervision conducted by the Ministry of Labor this year, and the Jeonju Branch of the Gwangju Regional Administration of Employment and Labor formed a special labor supervision team and will implement it starting today.
Donga.com reporter Song Chi-hoon sch53@donga.com
