A press conference is scheduled to be held at 10 a.m. at the MBC headquarters. It is expected to include an apology to the deceased and promises for measures to prevent recurrence. On October 15, MBC will make a public apology, one year and one month after the death of weathercaster Oh Yoanna, who had complained of workplace harassment. According to civic groups Ending Credit and Workplace Gapjil 119, a signing ceremony and press conference with Oh’s family and MBC will take place at the MBC headquarters in Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul. During the event, MBC will issue an official apology, award an honorary employee ID, and pledge prevention measures.
Previously, Oh’s mother, Jang Yeon-mi, staged a hunger strike in front of MBC from the 8th of last month, demanding an official apology, prevention of recurrence, and restoration of her daughter’s honor. The strike was halted after reaching a tentative agreement with MBC on the 5th of this month, 27 days later.
Once the signing ceremony and press conference conclude, a report meeting will be held at the memorial altar set up in front of MBC to reflect on the struggle. MBC plans to establish a memorial space inside the company to honor the deceased until the second anniversary of her passing on September 15 next year.
Oh, who joined MBC in 2021 as a public recruitment weathercaster, passed away last September. A 17-page will was found on her phone, detailing harassment by fellow weathercasters. The Ministry of Employment and Labor concluded in May that there was harassment concerning the deceased. However, it was not recognized as “workplace harassment” since Oh was a freelancer. Meanwhile, MBC announced last month that they would discontinue the position of weathercaster, without disadvantaging existing staff, and instead recruit regular “weather and climate experts.”