Increasing number of Koreans report harassment at work, but state recognition of workplace mental illnesses falls
Applicaitons to have mental health problems recognized as work-related are increasingly likely to be turned down by the South Korean government, government data shows.
According to Rep. Park Jee-hye of the Democratic Party of Korea on Wednesday, the rate at which mental health problems were recognized as work-related illnesses by the Korea Workers’ Compensation and Welfare Service fell consistently over the past four years, from 70.5 percent to 55.8 percent.
Despite an increase in applications from 696 in 2021 to 754 in 2025, the number of people who had mental illnesses recognized as work-related fell from 491 to 421 over the same period.
The number of work-related suicides fell over the same period, but applications were less likely to be accepted.
In 2021, 58.4 percent of 147 applications to have suicides recognized as work-related were accepted by the government. In 2025, the number of applications fell to 80, but just 35 percent of them were accepted.
This comes as the number of workplace harassment cases reported to the Ministry of Employment and Labor more than doubled, from 7,774 in 2021 to 16,373 in 2025.
While courts have recognized that workplace harassment can cause severe work-related stress and contribute to mental health conditions such as depression, the declining recognition rate raises concerns about whether workers facing such circumstances are adequately recognized as victims of occupational illnesses.
Hurdle for compensation may be too high
The declining recognition rate has sparked concerns that workers suffering from mental health issues related to their jobs face increasing hurdles in seeking compensation.
To seek workers' compensation for an occupational illness, applicants are required to submit documentation containing a medical opinion on the case.
Park argued that the declining recognition rates suggest that standards for recognizing work-related illnesses have yet to keep pace with growing awareness of workplace harassment and its impact on mental health.
“Applications to have mental health issues recognized as work-related, particularly those stemming from workplace harassment, have risen sharply,” Park said. “This is a warning that workplace culture and systems for protecting victims still need improvement.”
Continued calls for change
Following a series of high-profile cases involving workplace harassment in the late 2010s, South Korea amended the Labor Standards Act in 2019 to explicitly prohibit workplace harassment and require employers to investigate reported cases and take protective measures.
Despite the changes, workplace harassment remains widespread, according to labor rights group Gabjil 119.
In a survey by the group in June, 32.1 percent of 1,000 workers aged 19 or older said they had experienced workplace harassment. Among those who had experienced harassment, 55.1 percent said they either endured it without reporting it or ignored it.
The most commonly cited reason for not reporting harassment was the belief that doing so would not improve the situation, followed by concerns about possible disadvantages in personnel decisions.
Critics have argued that limited institutional remedies for victims contribute to the persistence of workplace harassment.
Park has called on the Labor Ministry to adopt a zero-tolerance approach and take tougher action against workplace harassment.
forestjs@heraldcorp.com
