The older brother of the late MBC weathercaster Oh Yo-anna expressed his frustration over MBC’s statement released around the one-year anniversary of her passing. In a phone interview with Star News on the 18th, Oh’s brother, Oh Sang-min, criticized the statement as mere damage control and expressed his anger, saying, “It’s absurd to claim she wasn’t an employee. Of course, Yoanna was a worker. She had fixed working hours and performed repetitive tasks. If that’s not repetition, then what is?”
Oh Sang-min also expressed his outrage at Oh Yo-anna’s fellow weathercasters, who wore black attire during a recent broadcast on the 15th, saying, “They didn’t even attend the funeral, so how can they claim to be commemorating the deceased?”
Additionally, Oh’s brother shared about their mother’s ongoing hunger strike protesting the situation: “When our mother passed the fifth day of fasting, she mentioned feeling a bit weak, and I heard that MBC President Ahn Hyung-joon visited the protest site. Nonetheless, our mother insists on continuing, even if it means dying there. As a son, I don’t agree, but I didn’t stop her. Her own opinion is what matters.”
Oh Yo-anna passed away on September 15 last year at the age of 28, and the news of her passing was not reported until December 10. This sparked a major social controversy when allegations surfaced this January that she had been bullied by two fellow weathercasters.
In response to the escalating controversy, MBC announced on January 31 that an investigation committee led by external experts would be established to uncover the truth behind Oh’s death. The committee officially launched on February 3.
Subsequently, on May 19, the Ministry of Employment and Labor conducted a special labor inspection on MBC and concluded that there was indeed workplace bullying. However, since Oh was not recognized as an employee, it was determined that MBC officials could not be prosecuted for violating labor laws.
MBC stated that it took the results of the special labor inspection very seriously and promised to prioritize addressing reoccurrence prevention, organizational culture improvement, and compliance with labor laws in its management efforts.
Then, on the anniversary of Oh’s passing, September 15, MBC announced the abolition of the freelance weathercaster system and the introduction of a climate expert system, planning to hire regular employees. Climate experts will deliver professional weather and climate information by handling tasks such as reporting, appearances, and content creation in addition to the roles of traditional weathercasters.
MBC plans to recruit climate experts through public recruitment either at the end of this year or early next year, with qualifications including climate, weather, or environmental studies background, relevant certifications, or more than five years of related industry experience. Existing freelance weathercasters are also eligible to apply.
In the statement, MBC expressed condolences for the late Oh Yo-anna and offered sincere sympathy to her family, adding that MBC will release the investigation committee’s findings if both parties in the related civil lawsuit agree.
Despite this statement, Oh’s family and civic groups strongly rebuffed MBC’s stance, accusing the network of “killing the deceased twice.” They argue that MBC’s announcement fails to recognize Oh Yo-anna’s status as a worker, stating that her mother’s hunger strike aimed to prevent another case like Oh’s by pushing for weathercaster regularization, yet the outcome of the strike leads to terminating her colleagues at MBC.