Naver—Naver developer suicide spotlighted long-running workplace bullying culture; CEO Han Seong-sook stepped down
In May 2021 a 40-year-old Naver developer died by suicide, leaving notes alleging severe and sustained workplace bullying by his manager. Subsequent Ministry of Employment and Labor inspection found Naver had violated labor law by failing to take action on harassment complaints filed for months prior. CEO Han Seong-sook stepped down in March 2022 in connection with the incident. Naver later instituted independent anti-harassment reporting channels and an external ethics board.
Scoring Impact
| Topic | Direction | Relevance | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corporate Governance | -against | secondary | -0.50 |
| Mental Health | -against | primary | -1.00 |
| Worker Rights | -against | primary | -1.00 |
| Overall incident score = | -0.357 | ||
Score = avg(topic contributions) × significance (high ×1.5) × confidence (0.57)× agency (negligent ×0.5)
Evidence (1 signal)
Korean labor ministry found Naver violated harassment law before developer's suicide; CEO resigned
Korea Times and Yonhap reported the South Korean Ministry of Employment and Labor's inspection findings that Naver had failed to act on documented workplace harassment complaints in the months before a 40-year-old developer died by suicide in May 2021. CEO Han Seong-sook stepped down in March 2022 in connection with the incident.