MBC expressed its intention to apologize regarding the late Oh Yoanna's workplace bullying controversy and stated that it would improve its organizational culture; however, Kim Ga-young, who is known as a bystander, continues to appear on live broadcasts, raising doubts about the sincerity of the apology.

On the afternoon of the 19th, MBC reported on the late Oh Yoanna's bullying incident through 'News Desk.' MBC acknowledged the results of the special labor inspection from the Ministry of Employment and Labor, stating that although the deceased does not fall under the Labor Standards Act, there were actions that could be considered bullying.

Additionally, MBC released an official statement saying, "We take the Ministry of Employment and Labor's conclusion that there were bullying actions against Ms. Oh Yoanna seriously. We will improve the overall organizational culture along with actions against those involved."

Furthermore, MBC stated, "We will establish a 'Cooperation Director' so that issues arising between freelancers and non-regular workers can be reported promptly by the parties involved or a third party to be corrected. Regarding the classification of the employment status of some freelancers, we will conduct a legal review and implement appropriate measures in a timely manner," adding, "We apologize once again to the bereaved family for the unfortunate incident involving Ms. Oh Yoanna. We wish for the repose of her soul."

Until now, MBC had not reported on the deceased's case, but after acknowledging the bullying actions and mentioning future measures, it bowed its head. Additionally, on the same day, the weather forecast of 'News Desk' was hosted by Kim Chaerim, who was a colleague of the deceased.

Kim Chaerim, the weather caster, was not a participant in the group chat where the signs of workplace bullying were revealed and was not mentioned as a perpetrator in the incident. This raised questions about the future direction of the weather forecasts.

However, on the morning of the following day, during 'News Today,' Kim Ga-young, a weather caster mentioned as one of the perpetrators, appeared and delivered the weather forecast. The subsequent weather forecast of '12 MBC News' was handled by Lee Hyun-seung, another weather caster.

As MBC mentioned its apology and future response measures, the situation remains that both Kim Ga-young and Lee Hyun-seung continue to deliver weather forecasts without stepping down from broadcasting. Attention was focused on whether MBC would remove only the person mentioned as the main perpetrator by the bereaved family or initiate a complete overhaul of the weather casters, but the ongoing appearances have led to doubts about the sincerity of the apology.

Meanwhile, the late Oh Yoanna had been active as an MBC weather caster since 2021 and passed away at the age of 28 last September. The exact cause of death was not disclosed at the time, but later, handwritten notes, diaries, recorded conversations, and KakaoTalk messages expressing the appeals of workplace bullying were found on the deceased's mobile phone, bringing the incident to light.

[Photo] SNS, broadcast capture

[OSEN]