On February 22nd, “Channel PNU” visited the security room of a building at the Busan campus of Pusan National University (PNU). It was a small room with 3.3m² long space. The ceiling was missing a tile, and the bed was too small for a man to lie on. Security guards explained that electronic applicants such as old air conditioners and refrigerators placed next to them were used and discarded by staff members. Security guard A said, "I made a space by finding something like a wooden plank," and "I have never asked for support from the school, and I am not in a position to make such a request." Two security guards work there in shifts.

“Channel PNU” investigated the security rooms available for coverage at the Busan campus for two months, from January to February, and found them to be better. 26 out of 35 rooms still need to receive furniture for nighttime jobs, leaving them to get it by themselves or pick up disowned furniture from other buildings or professor's labs. The administrative offices of some colleges, such as the College of Education, supported some furniture, but only a few. On September 29th, 2022, the resting area of ​​the environmental sanitation center at PNU was renovated, but the environment of the guard room remains the same.

Ventilation also remained as a serious problem. The space was too narrow, and there were often no windows leading to the outside. 15 out of 35 places were from 3.3m² to 9.9m², and most had windows leading to the hallway, but no windows connected to the outdoors. In the case of the Chemical Building security room, the door had to be left open in order to ventilate because merely the warehouse had windows.

Some locations of security guards' rooms were in violation of the laws. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Act amended on August 18th, 2022, the height from the floor to the ceiling of rest facilities must be at least 2.1 meters long. However, nine out of 35 security offices at PNU Busan campus have sloped roofs and are under the stairs. Regarding this situation, Na Sang-Myeong (An official of the Ministry of Employment & Labor) said, "Some places exceed 2.1 meters as the security office is under the stairs, but other places did not. The height may not be constant which can be considered a breach of the law."

Proper resting facilities were also not established. According to the revised Occupational Safety and Health Act, installing rest facilities in all workplaces is mandatory. Even if a separate space is not prepared, workers should hang a sign enabling them to disconnect from work during break time, yet this was not the case in reality. Officer Na said, "For a workplace to be recognized as a rest facility, it must be thoroughly disconnected from work by posting a sign saying, I have a break time from certain time to certain time, please make complaints and calls after that time,” and "Considering the nature of my work, phone calls or complaints all the time are unavoidable while having a break, but this should be regarded as a case where rest facilities are not generated."

Despite the circumstances, the security guards are reluctant to speak out directly. They belong to external companies outside of PNU. They fear that the improvements would be tenuous, and they would be disadvantaged if they spoke up. Security guard B refused when asked by a reporter to take a picture of the bed by saying, "That could raise my boss's eyebrows for the reason that I allow the picture of the security room."

No fact-finding survey is found on the environment of the guard's room in PNU as well as in Busan area universities. The head of the Busan-Gyeongnam Headquarters of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (Security guard, Tongmyong University) said, "Since we have never conducted an integrated survey on security guards at universities in Busan, we are unaware of the current level" and carried on, "National and private universities also have different circumstances; thus, there is no suitable place to do researches on each university." Moreover, he said, "The big universities may have rest facilities because they have dozens of security guards; some small universities are in the worst straits with fewer security guards."

The head office of PNU stands in the position of planning to secure the budget, examine, and improve the security rooms. Kim Hyeon-Jong (Manager, Dept. of general affairs) said, "With the improved rest area last year being not exclusively for sanitation workers but for field workers, it can be a common area for both. Regarding workplaces, the budget was initially invested in resting areas last year; therefore, we will improve it if necessary, after the examination."

Reporter Shin Yu-Jun

Translated by Yoon Seo-Jin