MBC weather caster the late Oh Yoanna's workplace bullying victimization showed a sharp divergence in positions between her family and colleagues.
On the afternoon of the 22nd, the 48th Civil Division of the Seoul Central District Court (Director General Baek Do-kyun) opened the first hearing of a damages lawsuit filed by the late Oh Yoanna's family against a former MBC weather caster, Mr. A, identified as the perpetrator of workplace bullying.
The late Oh Yoanna passed away in September last year at the age of 28. The news of her death became known three months later, in December of the same year, and afterward, suspicions arose that she had been subjected to workplace bullying by her colleagues during her lifetime, causing controversy. The Ministry of Employment and Labor then formed a special labor inspection team in conjunction with the Seoul Regional Employment and Labor Office and the Seoul Western Office to conduct a special labor inspection of MBC and concluded in February this year that "there were actions that could be considered bullying." However, it stated that punishing MBC officials for violating labor standards was impossible since weather casters do not qualify as employees.
In this context, the late Oh Yoanna's family filed a damages lawsuit against Mr. A on December 23 of last year. According to the complaint, the family claimed that from October 2021 until just before the late Oh's death in September last year, they had experienced about two years of verbal abuse and unfair directives from Mr. A and others. Initially, the court designated a date for a judgment without arguments on March 27, but Mr. A appointed a legal representative and submitted an opinion statement two days before the ruling, leading to a formal argument being conducted that day.
In the first argument, the family's legal representative noted, "The main point is that Mr. A's bullying contributed to Ms. Oh's death," and said, "We claimed workplace bullying as the cause based on the recognition of Ms. Oh's employee status, but there are parts that need to be supplemented regarding whether she was an employee based on the Ministry of Employment and Labor's inspection results, so we plan to consider adding a claim for death due to general bullying as a precaution in the future." He also mentioned, "The conclusion from the Ministry of Labor was that she was not an employee, but I question whether a proper investigation was conducted."
Subsequently, Mr. A's legal representative stated, "Regardless of any factual dispute, I express deep regret and condolences for the death of the deceased," and added, "The family's claims have been edited and do not consider the context of the relationship, actions, situation at the time, and overall conversation between Ms. Oh and Mr. A," stressing that "Mr. A did not bully Ms. Oh, and claiming that she died due to his actions is misleading the facts."
Mr. A's side emphasized, "Before her death, Ms. Oh maintained a good relationship with Mr. A, and considering the personal difficulties or negative comments Ms. Oh faced, it is difficult to acknowledge a causal relationship between her death and Mr. A." On the other hand, the family argued, "While there may have been some positive conversations between the two, the fact remains that Mr. A bullied Ms. Oh and she expressed mental distress," asserting that "the friendly nature of their conversations was merely to avoid upsetting a superior at work and cannot be seen as evidence of a good relationship."
Meanwhile, the court is scheduled to hold another hearing on September 23 for Mr. A's rebuttal and the submission of additional evidence by the family.
[Photo] SNS
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