Minister Kim Moon-soo of the Ministry of Employment and Labor noted on the 6th regarding the workplace bullying allegations involving the late weathercaster Oh Yoanna, who died in September last year, that "MBC should responsibly and swiftly investigate the facts and take necessary measures."
On that day, Minister Kim said at a national agency heads meeting held at the Seoul Regional Employment and Labor Office, "There was a tragic incident where a young person who was working hard to achieve their dreams passed away too early."
The Ministry of Employment and Labor is currently conducting a preliminary investigation into the allegations of workplace bullying against Oh Yoanna. Typically, when workplace bullying incidents occur at business sites, guidance is provided for conducting internal investigations. However, separate from MBC's own investigation, the Ministry plans to request relevant documents from the establishment to examine the case, as the internal investigation results may benefit the employer. This is intended to ensure objective judgment based on the documents.
Minister Kim said, "The jurisdiction's Seoul Western District Office should closely investigate the facts," adding, "All employees of our Ministry must take on the heavy responsibility to ensure that no promising young individuals lose their lives in the workplace due to unreasonable work environments and find solutions."
The Ministry is reportedly set to first review the employment status of the weathercaster. Workplace bullying is only applicable under the Labor Standards Act if the individual is classified as an employee. Therefore, if the weathercasters are determined not to be employees, such as freelancers, the incident itself will not be substantiated.