Two weather casters identified as alleged perpetrators in the case of the late Oh Yo-anna failed to appear in court [Star Scene]

*This content was translated by AI.

In a damages lawsuit filed by the family of the late MBC weather caster Oh Yo-anna, which raised the issue of workplace harassment following her sudden death, the two weather casters identified as alleged perpetrators ultimately did not appear for witness testimony.

The Seoul Central District Court's Civil Consolidated Division No. 48 (Presiding Judge Kim Do-gyun) held the sixth trial session on the 18th regarding the damages lawsuit related to workplace harassment involving the late Oh Yo-anna.

On this day, the court confirmed that among the four total witnesses, the two weather casters identified as alleged perpetrators did not appear; one of them submitted a statement of non-appearance, while the other was confirmed to have not received service by public notice.

During the fifth trial session held previously, the court had announced that witness testimony would be conducted. However, since none of the four witnesses selected appeared in court, the court stated, "Regarding the two weather casters who did not appear, we will proceed with address correction procedures, and if they fail to appear again, we will consider imposing a fine."

The individuals scheduled to appear for witness testimony include the two weather casters identified as alleged perpetrators of the late Oh Yo-anna's harassment, a colleague of the late Oh Yo-anna, and the weather team PD requested by the defendant side.

In particular, the court determined that the two weather casters identified as alleged perpetrators likely did not receive the summons due to reasons such as absence from their residence. Additionally, the defendant side stated, "The weather team PD requested by our side has indicated they will appear at the next session," while the family side's requested colleague weather caster expressed that a closed-door testimony appeared necessary.

The family of the late Oh Yo-anna submitted witness applications for three individuals in October 2025. The family's lawyer told StarNews, "We have applied to the court for these witnesses, and it is our wish that all three appear on the witness stand."

The late Oh Yo-anna passed away in September 2024 at the age of 28. Her death was made public to the general public in December 2024, three months after her passing. Subsequently, allegations emerged that she had suffered workplace harassment from her colleagues during her lifetime.

As the issue gained traction, MBC formed an investigation committee four months after Oh Yo-anna's death, stating, "We have decided to establish an investigation committee led by an external Jeon Mun-ga-reul (Chairman)." The committee 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 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 came approximately eight months after the late Oh Yo-anna's death.

Through an official statement, MBC said, "We take the results of the Ministry of Employment and Labor's special labor inspection very seriously," and expressed condolences to the late Oh Yo-anna 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 statement further read, "We take the Ministry of Employment and Labor's judgment that 'there were acts of harassment against the late Oh Yo-anna' seriously and will promptly undertake efforts to improve organizational culture. Appropriate measures will be taken against those involved." Additionally, MBC stated, "We are already implementing improvement measures based on the 'Organizational Culture Improvement Plan' previously submitted to the Ministry of Employment and Labor. We will reconfirm and address any deficiencies in light of this announcement."

MBC also stated, "We will further supplement and strengthen systems to improve issues that may arise between freelancers or between regular and non-regular employees as quickly as possible. We will expand and strengthen the currently operating Clean Center to enable 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." It added, "Regarding the determination of employee status for some freelancers, we will conduct a legal review and implement appropriate measures as soon as possible." The statement concluded, "We once again apologize to the family for the unfortunate incident involving the late Oh Yo-anna."

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*This content was translated by AI.