A civil servant robot in South Korea working for the Gumi City Council apparently killed itself leaving many confused on what is being termed the country’s first “robot suicide”.

The incident occurred last Thursday, leaving the tech community puzzled and in mourning.

The ‘Robot Supervisor’, according to the eyewitness accounts, was behaving oddly and out-of-character before its fall. It was discovered shattered at the bottom of a stairwell between the first and second floors of the city council building.

It was employed since August 2023 and performed various tasks including delivering documents, promoting the city, and providing information to residents.

It worked tirelessly from 9 am to 6 pm, even using elevators—a rare feature of its kind.

The robot was developed by a California-based startup for a broader range of duties.

It was seen as a great opportunity by South Koreans but for now the Gumi City Council has decided not to replace the robot, pausing their robot adoption plans and reflecting on the future of automation in the nation.