As the circumstances surrounding the workplace bullying suffered by late weathercaster Oh Yoanna continue to come to light, MBC has been additionally reported for violating the 'Serious Accident Punishment Act.'
On the 3rd, the complainant A submitted a request for investigation to the Mapo Police Station in Seoul through the National Petition Center, stating, “The late weathercaster Oh Yoanna, who worked at MBC, experienced workplace bullying and, without receiving appropriate protective measures, made an extreme choice. A thorough investigation is needed to determine whether MBC's management fulfilled its obligations to ensure safety and health under the 'Serious Accident Punishment Act,'” explaining the reason for the complaint.
A stated, “The deceased had reported the bullying to four internal company officials before her death, but no appropriate protective measures were taken. Furthermore, it has been confirmed that MBC's official reporting procedures were not effectively operational, and there has been controversy regarding the response process, such as not posting an obituary after the incident.”
Pointing out that this is “not a simple conflict between individuals, but a structural problem that has repeatedly occurred within MBC,” A asserted, “The Ministry of Employment and Labor has instructed MBC to conduct its own investigation, but in cases like workplace bullying, there is a possibility of fairness issues if the institution accused of wrongdoing conducts its own investigation. Therefore, it is necessary for the police to independently investigate the case to clarify the facts.”
A further stated, “In particular, since the police are considering the applicability of the 'Serious Accident Punishment Act' in the case of the Jeju Air disaster, an independent and objective review of whether the management's obligations to ensure safety and health under the 'Serious Accident Punishment Act' have been violated should also be conducted in this case,” adding, “If the police do not conduct an independent investigation, there is a possibility that records related to the case (reports, emails, conversation logs, etc.) will not be properly preserved, making it difficult to secure objective evidence.”
MBC was reported to the police and the Ministry of Employment and Labor regarding the Oh Yoanna case on the 29th of last month, and on the 31st, President Ahn Hyung-jun, along with department heads and colleagues of the deceased, were reported for instructing the destruction of evidence, professional negligence leading to death, and violations of the Stalking Punishment Act. With the addition of the 'Serious Accident Punishment Act' violation, this marks the third complaint against them.
Subsequently, the family of Oh Yoanna revealed on the 31st through JTBC's 'Incident Chief' that “just days before her death, she had gone through two dangerous crises and ultimately passed away on September 15, 2024,” stating, “She endured verbal abuse from a fellow weathercaster for about two years and suffered from unfair directives. She confided to her friends that 'work life is so hard that I want to die' and visited over ten psychiatric clinics to receive medication.”
In relation to this, MBC stated that when the allegations of workplace bullying against Oh Yoanna were first raised, they were prepared to begin an investigation, but claimed, “The deceased never reported her grievances to the responsible department or the management she worked with while freelancing. If she had officially reported her grievances to the company or even informed responsible managers of her suffering, the company would have naturally conducted an appropriate investigation.”
As the controversy grew, on the 31st, MBC announced, “We have decided to form a fact-finding committee chaired by an external expert to clarify the cause and truth behind the death of Oh Yoanna,” stating, “We have been conducting an internal investigation immediately after the allegations surrounding the deceased's death were raised, and we plan to provide all preliminary investigation materials secured so far to the committee to support a smooth and swift clarification of the truth.”
[Geum Bitna, MK Sports Reporter]
