This photo taken on April 29, 2020 shows flight attendants at the departure hall of Incheon International Airport in Incheon, just west of Seoul. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Nov. 10 (Korea Bizwire) — A suicide committed by an airline employee during forced leave following the coronavirus outbreak has been recognized as a work accident.
The Korea Workers’ Compensation and Welfare Service announced Tuesday that it had notified the family members of the late Korean Air Lines Co. employee in September that the suicide had been recognized as a work accident.
The agency recognized that the Korean Air flight attendant had faced severe job insecurity due to a series of forced leaves following the coronavirus outbreak, impacting the employee’s psychological state to commit suicide.
This case is one of the numerous instances where suicide caused by COVID-19 and depressive symptoms that ensued has been recognized as a work accident, the agency said.
The late Korean Air flight attendant was found dead at a Seoul residence in November of last year. The employee was sent on permanent leave as the number of flights dwindled and eventually decided to commit suicide after struggling with depression.
The flight attendant had to address financial difficulties with a minimum amount of income but wasn’t allowed to acquire a secondary or part-time job due to company restrictions.
The remaining family members asked the agency to review the case in March this year.
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
