On April 25, civil servants handle civil affairs at a department in the Seo District Office in Gwangju. (Yonhap)
GWANGJU, April 28 (Korea Bizwire) — The recorded message comes before every call now: “This call will be recorded from this point onward.”
It was supposed to make things better. It hasn’t.
At the Seo District Office in Gwangju, where municipal workers answer hundreds of citizen complaints each week, the voices on the other end of the line are often filled not with requests for help — but with rage.
One afternoon this week, a public official picked up a call only to be immediately berated. “Why did you fine me for parking?” demanded an unidentified man, not waiting for an answer. When the civil servant calmly explained that the violation had been documented according to law, the response was a barrage of profanities, shouted refusals, and thinly veiled threats.
It was only after the employee promised to “double-check” the ticket — a quiet concession to end the abuse — that the caller finally hung up.
These scenes are playing out across South Korea, even after the Ministry of the Interior and Safety rolled out new protections on April 21: mandatory call recordings, guidelines for terminating abusive calls, and new support for pressing criminal charges against offenders.
In theory, public servants are now better shielded. In reality, the torrent of anger hasn’t slowed.
“You’re lucky if you only get cursed at,” one Seo District employee said, requesting anonymity. “Being grabbed by the collar or even physically attacked happens more often than people think. Some of us are in therapy because of this.”
On April 25, a civil servant answers a phone call at a civil affairs department in the Seo District Office in Gwangju. (Yonhap)
A Dangerous Pattern
The statistics tell a grim story. Over the past two years, Seo District has recorded 414 cases of illegal behavior from citizens — 309 in 2023 and 105 already in 2024. Verbal abuse accounted for the majority (268 cases), but there were also threats (55 cases), incidents of sexual harassment (50), physical assaults (3), and dozens of other disruptions.
The threats are not always idle. Last year, a citizen visiting a welfare center over benefits issues warned a staffer, “Watch your back at night — I carry weapons.” He later returned to sexually harass a female employee.
More recently, an individual roamed through multiple departments, physically attacking workers and filing dozens of malicious complaints, eventually leading to a police investigation.
‘Zero Tolerance’ — But Little Relief
In response, Seo District has adopted a “zero tolerance” policy. Police partnerships have been established, legal advisors are ready to act, and security officers now rotate between offices. The district is also considering allowing targeted staff to transfer departments and plans to provide annual mental health stipends of up to 500,000 won (about $345).
“We are prioritizing both legal action and staff well-being,” a district spokesperson said. “Our people shouldn’t have to choose between doing their jobs and feeling safe.”
But frontline workers say that unless broader societal attitudes change — and unless governments move beyond guidelines and into real structural reforms — the daily toll of verbal abuse and threats will continue.
For now, the new voice recording alert offers little comfort. To many workers, it’s just another part of a job that increasingly feels more about survival than service.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
