On December 10 of last year, I received the news that I hoped was another fake news story. The news was that Oh Yoanna, a young weathercaster who had just turned 28 and was gaining popularity through tvN's "You Quiz" (2022, Episode 170 featuring weathercasters from three major networks), had passed away.
Moreover, Oh Yoanna had joined MBC as a weathercaster through the public recruitment in 2021 and had appeared in a representative segment for weathercasters from three major networks, making her one of the new faces of MBC. It was strange that the news of her death was revealed three months later, in December. It was puzzling that the company did not issue an obituary, nor did any of her colleagues inform the outside world. I contacted MBC first to verify the facts, but their response was even more bizarre. They seemed unaware of this tragic news and showed no willingness to find out, nor did they exhibit any attitude of sincerely mourning a colleague who left us too soon.
At 2:44 PM that day, I reached the MBC Content Promotion Department (Public Relations Team), and when I inquired about the death of weathercaster Oh Yoanna, they replied that they did not know. When I requested them to confirm, they said, “She is not part of the news department,” and added, “If we can find out, we will let you know.” When I asked again if she was not part of the news department, they replied, “No,” and then said, “We cannot know. (Her death) is a personal matter, so we cannot know. We have no plans to issue an official statement later.”
Looking back, MBC's initial response was not reasonable. The deceased was not just an ordinary employee but a well-known broadcaster who had appeared as an MBC-affiliated weathercaster on other networks. Moreover, it had been three months since her death, and all administrative procedures would have been completed, so how could her affiliated broadcasting company not know about her passing?
Is the death of a working weathercaster a personal matter? In a world where all events are shared through the company's internal system, it is hard to believe that the employee I spoke to was unaware. If that were the case, wouldn’t it be appropriate to confirm and inform, and after discussion, to politely issue a statement regarding the deceased's death? Unless there is a deliberate attempt to hush it up, which would imply there is a reason for doing so.
However, MBC concluded by saying they did not know and that there would be no official statement. After raising questions multiple times and after articles began to pour in, they merely confirmed the fact that “she has indeed passed away.”
MBC's response was strangely defensive and seemed to avoid the issue even more. As heartbreaking stories surrounding the deceased surfaced, the atmosphere of unreasonableness lingered in my mind.
Since then, MBC has continued to respond in a similar manner, ultimately becoming embroiled in suspicions of 'neglect,' 'concealment,' 'bad practices,' and a 'culture of silence,' and has faced ongoing criticism from former MBC weathercasters as well as the public.
The atmosphere that felt oddly off that day became clearer when, on the 28th of last month, a 17-page letter and recordings detailing workplace bullying were discovered on the deceased's mobile phone. There were also indications that the deceased had informed four MBC officials about these incidents before her death. The anguished revelations from her family and the stories from former MBC weathercasters who experienced similar pain continue to emerge.
However, MBC, which claims to be pursuing the 'truth,' is still only scratching the surface. They assert that they are being 'cautious,' but from an outside perspective, their response appears unreasonably slow, inadequate, and cynical. In their first statement, MBC stated, “Mentioning facts related to the deceased is a very delicate matter, so we must be extremely cautious in our response,” and added, “The only verifiable fact is that the deceased never reported her grievances (such as workplace bullying) to the responsible departments (Human Resources Team, Audit Center) or to the management personnel she worked with,” focusing solely on self-exoneration.
They further stated, “If the deceased had officially reported her grievances (such as workplace bullying) to the company, or even if she had not reported them, but had informed responsible managers of her suffering, the company would have naturally conducted an appropriate investigation,” emphasizing that “MBC handles workplace bullying with extreme severity, and investigations are promptly initiated upon receiving reports or consultation requests from freelancers and cast members.”
Despite media reports that the deceased had informed someone of her suffering, they merely stated, “Please let us know who that person is. If the family requests verification of the facts based on the newly discovered letter, MBC is prepared to initiate an investigation as soon as possible,” offering only superficial explanations, and did not proceed with an internal investigation afterward.
Logically, in such a large organization, especially a broadcasting company with a strong reporting function, it is not easy for a low-level employee to report to an official department or an unfamiliar high-ranking official alone, fight against the perpetrators, and not fear public exposure. Protecting sources is fundamental, yet the request to reveal the informant is disheartening.
At the very least, shouldn’t they first conduct investigations or interviews with those identified as perpetrators? I want to ask whether it is appropriate for the public to see and hear these individuals smiling and chatting on air as if nothing has happened.
What is even more shocking is that, although the full circumstances of the incident have not yet been clearly confirmed, they made a statement that is almost a secondary victimization, expressing concern about “forces that seem to be approaching this issue as a way to ‘shake MBC’ without knowing the exact facts,” without any caution.
Ultimately, those who could no longer bear it reported MBC to the police and the Ministry of Employment and Labor. Criticism from the public and political circles intensified. Evidence suggesting that the deceased had suffered continues to pour in daily, and complaints are flooding viewer boards and various online forums. The real names of those presumed to be perpetrators have also been revealed.
MBC, which had remained silent, reluctantly announced on the 31st of last month that “to determine the cause and truth of the death of the late Oh Yoanna, we have decided to form a fact-finding committee chaired by external experts.” This is also presumed to be a measure taken under the direction of the Broadcasting Culture Promotion Association (hereinafter referred to as the BCP), which is MBC's supervisory body.
On the 4th, Kwon Tae-seon, chairman of the BCP, stated, “As the chairman of the Broadcasting Culture Promotion Association, which is MBC's supervisory body, I was shocked to learn during the Lunar New Year holiday that the unfortunate death was related to workplace bullying,” and added, “I immediately confirmed the relevant facts from MBC and listened to their response plan, then raised the necessity for a comprehensive investigation. MBC reported that they would form a fact-finding committee including external experts and would soon begin the investigation.”
Meanwhile, former MBC weathercasters and announcers began to speak out.
Former MBC weathercaster Bae Soo-yeon lamented, “Even when I was leaving the company, it was the same. No one paid any attention to my voice, which was just a freelancer in their eyes. MBC. News department. Weather team. It was a workplace I loved so much, but I learned the true nature of that place. I thought it would have changed a bit by now, but it seems it hasn’t changed at all...”
Former weathercaster and broadcaster Park Eun-ji said, “I know how scary and lonely that pain is because I endured it for seven long years. I’m so sorry I couldn’t help. The deeply rooted culture of workplace bullying must be revealed to the end,” she wrote.
Meanwhile, former announcer Bae Hyun-jin, a member of the People Power Party, pointed out, “There is a bad corporate culture at MBC. The biggest problem is that my SOS (distress signal) to the company was ignored. It’s a culture of silence,” and added, “On the surface, it looks like a shiny family home, but it’s a place that commits serious domestic violence. It’s very much like a college club based on personal relationships, and if someone doesn’t like you, it turns into very childish and violent bullying.”
It is known that the deceased attempted suicide at the Gayang Bridge last September. At that time, she reportedly said, “Work is hard. It feels like my spine is breaking, and living is so painful that I want to be at peace.” Ultimately, even after leaving this world, the company turned a blind eye. No one wanted to know, and someone might have stopped her.
Tragically, the individual in question has already passed away. I do not know how accurately and transparently the truth can be uncovered in a situation where the individual is not present, but I hope that at least minimal respect and common sense are upheld. The concerns I felt when I first received the news have become a reality, but I sincerely hope that the doubts currently swirling do not become a reality.
I contacted an MBC official again to ask about the inappropriate responses I received when I first heard the news. He changed his statement when I asked, “Didn’t you say she was not part of the news department?” to “I wouldn’t have responded that way. Logically, I wouldn’t have said she was not part of the team.”
He continued, “At first, I thought the weathercaster was an announcer, so I contacted the announcer department, and later I found out internally that she belonged to the newsroom to verify the facts. If I did that, it must have been a misunderstanding,” and emphasized, “At that time, didn’t anyone know? There might have been misunderstandings in the wording or during the response process, but I absolutely wouldn’t have said that.”
Postscript: Right? It’s absurd even to think about it, isn’t it? And really, did no one know?
[Kim So-yeon, Star Today Reporter]
