MBC terminated its contract with individual A, who was identified as a perpetrator in the workplace bullying incident involving the late weathercaster Oh Yoanna, and renewed contracts with the other three. This action has sparked criticism of "cutting off tails" and responses labeling it as "appropriate measures."

MBC recently terminated its contract with weathercaster A and proceeded with contract renewals for the other three. A is one of those identified as a perpetrator of workplace bullying against the late Oh Yoanna, and the bereaved family has filed a civil lawsuit against that individual.

In this regard, MBC said on the 22nd to OSEN, "We have renewed contracts with the other three weathercasters excluding weathercaster A," adding, "Although we have not yet received an official document regarding the results of the special labor inspection from the Ministry of Employment and Labor, we have taken action on aspects where there are largely no disagreements based on related parts."

This action follows the announcement of the special labor inspection results by the Ministry of Employment and Labor, and the contract period with the three renewed individuals is until the end of this year. Originally, the contracts were supposed to have been finalized by the end of last year, but were delayed due to the allegations of bullying against the late Oh Yoanna.

MBC decided to terminate its contract with individual A, who was mentioned as a perpetrator according to the results of the special labor inspection, and renew contracts with the other three. The reason was that they could not find grounds to consider the three as perpetrators, but since the news broke, opinions have been divided.

For now, the majority opinion among the public is a reaction of "cutting off tails." There are ongoing criticisms suggesting that they interpret the judgment of the Ministry of Employment and Labor as a get-out-of-jail-free card and that there is an intention to downplay the issue by shifting responsibility to just one individual.

Additionally, MBC's statement after the results of the special labor inspection, in which they noted, "We take the Ministry of Employment and Labor's judgment seriously and will continue to take action regarding the individuals involved and improve our organizational culture," has also been criticized as merely a cosmetic measure.

On the other hand, some responses suggest that MBC's actions are not problematic according to the judgment of the Ministry of Employment and Labor. One internet user commented, "MBC was waiting for the judgment of the Ministry of Employment and Labor; if only one was recognized, there’s nothing MBC could do," and later others reacted with comments like, "Isn’t the person recognized for bullying the one they cut?"

Furthermore, when the bereaved family stated that when weathercaster Kim Gayoung was identified as a perpetrator, "Among Oh Yoanna's colleagues, there is a main perpetrator, and while some merely sympathized or stood by, the bereaved family does not wish to hurt the entire weather team. The family is concerned about the situation where those who are merely bystanders are misunderstood as main perpetrators," the response regarding the renewal of contracts for weathercasters has been mixed, as the only individual against whom a civil lawsuit has been filed by the family is A.

Meanwhile, independent of the special labor inspection by the Ministry of Employment and Labor, MBC has launched an investigation committee with an external individual as chairperson. However, since the results from the special labor inspection have come out, they have stated that they will not announce the results of the committee's investigation.

[Photo] SNS, MBC capture

[OSEN]