[Exclusive]Will the confrontation with the two weather casters accused of being the perpetrators in the case of the late Oh Yo-an-na fail again? Witness fails to appear in report

*This content was translated by AI.

Following the sudden passing of the late Oh Yo-an-na, who drew attention to workplace harassment issues, the bereaved family is preparing for a witness confrontation with two weather casters identified as the alleged perpetrators. However, one of the witnesses has indicated their intention not to appear.

The Seoul Central District Court Civil Consolidated Division 48 (Presiding Judge Kim Do-gyun) plans to conduct witness examinations on the 18th during the sixth trial session regarding the wrongful death lawsuit related to workplace harassment involving the late Oh Yo-an-na. It has been confirmed that one of the individuals designated as a witness has submitted a report stating their intention not to appear.

During the previously held fifth trial session, the court noted that none of the four witnesses it had accepted appeared in court. The court stated, "Regarding the two weather casters who did not appear, we will proceed with procedures to correct their addresses. If they fail to appear again, we will consider imposing a fine."

The individuals scheduled to appear for witness examination include the two weather casters identified as the alleged perpetrators of the harassment, a colleague of the deceased, and a weather team PD applied for by the defendant side.

In particular, the court determined that the two weather casters identified as the alleged perpetrators likely did not receive the summons due to reasons such as "no one at the address."

Subsequently, the defendant side stated, "The weather team PD we applied for has indicated they will appear at the next session." Meanwhile, the colleague weather caster applied for by the bereaved family's side expressed the need for a closed-door examination.

The bereaved family of the late Oh Yo-an-na submitted witness applications for three individuals in October 2025. A lawyer for the bereaved family told StarNews, "We have filed witness applications with the court, and it is our wish that all three individuals take the witness stand."

The late Oh Yo-an-na passed away in September 2024 at the age of 28. The obituary was made public in December 2024, three months after her death. Following this, allegations emerged that she had suffered workplace harassment from her colleagues during her lifetime.

In response to the resulting uproar, MBC formed an investigation committee four months after Oh Yo-an-na's death. The broadcaster stated, "We have decided to form an investigation committee led by an external Jeon Mun-ga-reul (Chairman)." It further added, "We have conducted an internal self-investigation and plan to provide maximum support to ensure the truth is revealed quickly. We will make every effort to clarify the exact facts so that the bereaved family's pain can be healed."

The Ministry of Employment and Labor also formed a special labor inspection team in February 2025 in collaboration with the Seoul Local Labor Office and the Seoul Western Branch, commencing a special labor inspection of MBC. While concluding that "weather casters do not qualify as employees," the ministry determined that "there were acts that could be considered harassment." The Ministry of Employment and Labor's recognition of workplace harassment occurred approximately eight months after the death of the late Oh Yo-an-na.

Through an official statement, MBC said, "We take the results of the special labor inspection by the Ministry of Employment and Labor very seriously" and expressed condolences to the late Oh Yo-an-na and her family. It continued, "We will make our best efforts to prioritize the establishment of measures to prevent recurrence, improve organizational culture, and comply with labor relations laws as the top management priority." The broadcaster added, "We take the Ministry of Employment and Labor's judgment that 'there were acts of harassment against the late Oh Yo-an-na' seriously and will immediately undertake efforts to improve organizational culture. Appropriate measures will be taken regarding those involved." Furthermore, MBC stated, "Based on the 'Improvement Plan for Overall Organizational Culture' previously submitted to the Ministry of Employment and Labor, we are already implementing improvement measures. We will reconfirm and supplement any insufficient parts in light of this announcement."

MBC also stated, "We will further supplement and strengthen systems to improve problems that may arise between freelancers or between irregular workers as quickly as possible. We will expand and strengthen the currently operating Clean Center to allow for immediate reporting and improvement of harassment or difficulties. Regardless of employment type, we will improve the system so that colleagues can report anonymously when they become aware of such issues." The broadcaster added, "Regarding the determination of employee status for some freelancers, we will conduct a legal review and implement appropriate measures as soon as possible." It concluded, "We once again apologize to the bereaved family for the unfortunate incident involving the late Oh Yo-an-na."

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*This content was translated by AI.