Seoul court recognizes suicide of official as work-related death

A court has ruled that the death of a public official who took their own life after developing depression following a new assignment should be recognized as a work-related death.

Seoul Administrative Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul is seen on Nov. 30, 2020. [YONHAP]

A court has ruled that the death of a public official who took their own life after developing depression following a new assignment should be recognized as a work-related death.

The education official, who had served for 17 years, was assigned to be the head of a middle school’s administrative office in January 2022, but suffered stress from the newly assigned duties. The official was diagnosed with depression in March that year and took medical leave. After receiving inpatient treatment at a hospital as recommended, the official returned to work in July 2022. The official was reassigned to a library but died by suicide in a basement stairwell of the library about one month after returning to work.

Before the death, the official reportedly told family members and acquaintances about the distress caused by the new duties. The bereaved family applied to the Ministry of Personnel Management for survivors’ benefits for death in the line of duty, saying the official’s depression worsened due to work-related stress and led to suicide. The ministry rejected the claim, saying it was difficult to see work-related reasons sufficient to have led to death. The family then filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn the decision.

The court ruled in favor of the family. The Seoul Administrative Court’s Administrative Division recently ruled for the plaintiffs in a lawsuit seeking to cancel the ministry’s rejection of survivors’ benefits.

“It can be inferred that the deceased’s depression worsened due to work-related stress, significantly impairing normal cognitive ability and decision-making capacity and leading to suicide,” the court said. Supreme Court precedent holds that when a public official dies by suicide, it must be shown that work-related stress or overwork caused or worsened an illness that led to the suicide.

The court took into account that the official’s workload increased after first taking on the role of administrative office head in 2022.

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“It appears that this was the first time the deceased oversaw all administrative duties, including accounting and facilities management, while serving as the department’s responsible official,” the court said. “To make up for a lack of experience, the deceased worked 44 hours of overtime in January and 22 hours in February after the appointment and frequently expressed work-related difficulties to acquaintances and family members, indicating a significant work burden."

The court also considered hospital counseling records showing complaints of work-related stress. According to the ruling, during a hospital visit in March 2022, the official said, “The work feels very unfamiliar because it is something I have never done before,” and “I tried not to cause trouble for subordinates or other staff, but it did not go well. There is no place to get help and no time.”

After hospitalization, the official said, “I have no expectations for my workplace,” and “I feel intimidated and have lost confidence in my work.”

The court noted that while the official received psychiatric treatment from 2011 to 2017, there was no treatment history for five years afterward, concluding that the suicide was caused by job-related stress following the administrative appointment.

“From 2011 to 2017, the counseling appears to have focused on concerns such as a lack of confidence, with depression not being particularly severe,” the court said. “It is difficult to conclude that the cause of the deceased’s extreme choice stemmed solely from personal vulnerability."

If you or someone you know is feeling emotionally distressed or struggling with thoughts of suicide, LifeLine Korea can be contacted at 1588-9191 or the Crisis Counseling Center at 1577-0199. The Seoul Global Center offers English-language counseling, contact 02-2075-4180 (+1) to arrange a session. Other international helplines can be found at www.befrienders.org.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. BY CHOI SEO-IN [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]