MBC, for the first time, officially acknowledged and apologized for the harassment of the late weathercaster Anna Oh, eight months after her passing. However, the weathercaster Ga-young Kim, who was identified as the ‘perpetrator’, appeared on the morning news unchanged, leaving questions about MBC’s sincerity.
On the 19th, MBC addressed the special labor inspection results by the Ministry of Employment and Labor on their main news program ‘News Desk’, stating, “We take the Ministry of Employment and Labor’s judgment that there was harassment against Anna Oh seriously.”
Anchor Hyun-yong Cho announced, “We will take measures against those involved and improve the overall organizational culture,” adding that they will establish a mutual cooperation officer and create a system allowing freelancers and non-regular workers to report issues directly to a third party.
Additionally, they mentioned that they will undergo legal review regarding the employee status of freelancers and implement appropriate measures. They also apologized once again to Anna Oh’s bereaved family and expressed condolences.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor conducted a special labor inspection of MBC over approximately three months, concluding there was harassment against Anna Oh. However, they determined it was difficult to punish those involved because the deceased could not be recognized as a ‘worker’ under labor standards law.
Anna Oh’s mother opposed this decision, arguing, “This doesn’t make sense. They hired her through open recruitment and used her under a freelancer contract. How is she not a worker?”
The Ministry recognized 25 freelancers as workers and discovered six violations of labor-related laws, imposing a fine of 15 million KRW on MBC.
MBC released a separate press release expressing condolences and pledging to prioritize organizational culture improvement and compliance with labor laws. They also promised appropriate measures against those involved.
Anna Oh passed away in September 2023, with her obituary announced three months later. Her will, found on her phone, contained allegations of workplace harassment by fellow weathercasters. Her bereaved family has filed a civil lawsuit against one colleague identified as a perpetrator.
Coincidentally, the weather forecast on ‘News Desk’ was presented by weathercaster Chae-rim Geum, who was not part of the internal group chat where signs of workplace harassment emerged and has not been identified as a perpetrator in this case. However, the following day, on the morning news ‘News Today’, weathercaster Ga-young Kim, who was mentioned in the controversy, appeared unchanged, drawing attention from viewers.