Workplace bullying spurs surge in trauma counseling
gettyimagesbank
Cases of workplace bullying are on the rise in Korea, and the number of employees reporting psychological trauma has reached record levels, recent government data shows.
The Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA) said Sunday that its network of occupational trauma centers conducted 16,607 counseling sessions between 2022 and 2024, with annual figures rising sharply each year. In 2023, there were 6,757 consultations — a 56.4 percent increase from 2022 and a 22.2 percent jump compared to 2023.
The centers, first established in Daegu in 2018 and now expanded to 23 locations nationwide, offer free psychological support to workers experiencing trauma caused by serious industrial accidents, co-worker suicides, workplace bullying, or sexual harassment or violence.
Work-related accidents, including serious industrial injuries, were the most common reason for trauma counseling in 2023, accounting for 3,214 sessions — nearly half of the annual total. Consultations related to bullying and sexual harassment followed closely at 2,311 cases, nearly double the 1,156 recorded in 2022.
Government-reported cases of workplace bullying have also climbed steadily — from 8,961 in 2022 to 11,038 in 2023 and 12,253 in 2024 — suggesting a direct link to the growing demand for trauma-related support services.
Reports of abuse by customers — including verbal and physical assaults — increased from 72 cases in 2022 to 202 in 2024, though the figure marks a decline from 589 cases reported in 2023.
The growth in overall trauma counseling has also been driven by a surge in “other” cases — such as trauma stemming from illness, including COVID-19 — which rose from 84 in 2022 to 1,030 in 2024.
The trauma programs cover not only primary victims directly involved in workplace incidents but also secondary victims — such as co-workers or witnesses — who are psychologically affected by the events, KOSHA said.