MBC Issues Official Apology for the Late Oh Yoanna's Workplace Bullying Incident

On the afternoon of the 19th, MBC's 'News Desk' reported the results of the Ministry of Employment and Labor's special labor supervision regarding the late Oh Yoanna's workplace bullying incident and issued an official apology.

MBC, which had remained silent on the matter until now, has finally made its official stance known.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor recently conducted a special labor supervision of MBC and concluded that while the late Oh Yoanna does not fall under the category of workers as defined by the Labor Standards Act, there were actions that could be considered bullying. As a result, six violations of labor-related laws were identified, and a fine of 15 million won was imposed.

Actions that could be considered bullying existed.

The 'News Desk' published MBC's official statement on that day, stating, "We take the Ministry of Employment and Labor's judgment that there were acts of bullying against the late Oh Yoanna very seriously. We will improve the overall organizational culture along with actions against those involved."

MBC Promises Institutional Measures to Protect Freelancers

MBC also presented specific measures to prevent recurrence.

The company promised to establish a new 'Cooperative Relationship Officer' and set up a system that allows issues occurring between freelancers and non-regular workers to be reported immediately by the involved parties or a third party. Additionally, it added, "We will conduct legal reviews regarding the determination of employee status for some freelancers and implement appropriate measures in the near future."

Finally, MBC concluded the official apology by stating, "We once again apologize to the bereaved family for the unfortunate incident involving the late Oh Yoanna. We wish for her soul to rest in peace."

Previously, the workplace bullying incident involving the late Oh Yoanna became known to the public through a media report in January.

The late Oh Yoanna, who passed away unexpectedly last September, left behind a will and testimonies from acquaintances, pointing to certain senior weathercasters as perpetrators of workplace bullying, causing a social stir.

In the early stages of the allegations, the individuals identified as perpetrators maintained their silence and did not issue an official statement. They blocked comments on their social media accounts and even disabled the comment functions on the YouTube channels they appeared on, refusing to communicate, while continuing to appear on broadcasts as weathercasters and facing public criticism.

This official apology from MBC and the announcement of measures to prevent recurrence came months after the incident occurred, and attention is now focused on whether concrete actions will indeed be taken regarding those involved and efforts to improve the organizational culture.

Image Source: MBC 'News Desk', Late Oh Yoanna's SNS, Instagram 'ohyoanna'