TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The KMT legislative caucus called on Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) to launch an independent investigation into alleged workplace bullying that may have contributed to the recent death of senior trade official Yen Huai-shing (顏慧欣).

Yen, deputy representative at the Office of Trade Negotiations, died on March 12 at the age of 53, per Liberty Times. Following her death, allegations surfaced that she had experienced workplace bullying, particularly from her superior, Office of Trade Negotiations Trade Representative Yang Jen-ni (楊珍妮).

In her resignation letter, written on Feb. 19 while she was in an intensive care unit, Yen criticized the government’s lack of a plan and timetable for joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), despite it being openly touted by senior officials, per Commercial Times. Yen’s letter, drafted with assistance from medical staff and her family, also described the government’s efforts as lacking urgency and failing to act decisively on the issue.

On Friday, Cho confirmed that the government would continue its efforts to join the CPTPP, but acknowledged that progress had been slow, per Newtalk. He said the lack of progress was due in part to a focus on Taiwan-US trade negotiations.

In the wake of Yen’s death, the KMT has demanded that the government conduct a thorough investigation into the allegations of workplace abuse, release all pertinent information, and implement concrete reforms. KMT Legislative Caucus Secretary-General Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) questioned why Yen, who had expressed a desire to continue her service if her health improved, resigned with regrets instead of achievements.

Lin also challenged Cho’s claim that the CPTPP issue was simply a matter of resource misallocation, asking why a review group was needed if the situation was so straightforward. KMT Legislator Wang Yu-min (王育敏) demanded that the government take further action, including removing Yang from her position and expanding the investigation to cover the International Trade Administration, which Yang oversaw.

After Yen’s death, audio recordings surfaced in which Yang allegedly berated subordinates, per SETN. While Yang has denied the accusations, insiders claim her tendency to yell at staff and her harsh management style were an “open secret” within the office.

One insider recounted an incident in which Yang allegedly excluded Yen from the Taiwan-US trade negotiation team, despite Yen being a key official in the office, per TVBS. Yang allegedly took two recording officials into the team instead of Yen.

When the insider’s department attempted to organize a meeting with anyone but Yen, Yang reportedly spent 30 minutes criticizing them, saying “everybody else knows nothing” and noting that “Yen does not even have her own secretary.”

A friend of Yen’s father, former finance minister Yen Ching-chang (顏慶章), told the media that when Yen reported to the office, Yang was holding a meeting, so Yang’s secretary asked Yen to wait in the deputy trade representative’s office, per Liberty Times. After Yang learned of this, she allegedly yelled at Yen in front of her secretary.

This friend also recalled that when Yen was excluded from the Taiwan-US trade negotiation team, one of the recording officials had suggested leaving so Yen could join, but the request was not accepted by Yang.

In her resignation letter, Yen expressed frustration with the lack of a structured plan for Taiwan’s CPTPP bid, despite the government’s high-level promotion of the initiative. She wrote that while she had proposed ways to move the process forward, her suggestions were repeatedly rejected, and she was harshly criticized for raising concerns.

Yen also lamented that, 18 years after the Office of Trade Negotiations was established, it still lacked a formal system for nurturing talent, contributing to a generational gap in the organization. She mentioned that while she had considered reporting her concerns directly to Cho, she postponed doing so after Taiwan-US trade negotiations began.

The government proposed awarding Yen the Merit Medal posthumously for her service and contributions to Taiwan-US trade negotiations, per CNA. However, Yen’s family reportedly rejected the offer, stating that she was no longer in public service at the time of her death.