Accused harasser of the late Oh Yo-an-na ultimately fails to appear; only colleagues testify in closed session [Comprehensive]

*This content was translated by AI.

Two weather casters identified as alleged perpetrators in a damages lawsuit filed by the family of the late Oh Yo-an-na over workplace harassment did not appear in court following her sudden death.

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-an-na.

Regarding witness testimony, the court confirmed that two of the four total witnesses, both weather casters identified as alleged perpetrators, did not appear. One submitted a statement of non-appearance, while the other was confirmed to have not received service by public announcement.

During the fifth trial session held previously, the court had announced plans to conduct witness testimony. However, since none of the four witnesses selected appeared in court, the court stated, "We will proceed with address correction procedures for the two weather casters who did not appear. 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 harassers of the deceased, a colleague of the deceased, and a PD from the weather team requested by the defendant.

The court subsequently decided to conduct witness testimony for the deceased's colleague in closed session and determined to resume witness testimony for the weather team PD in August.

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

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

In response to the growing controversy, MBC formed an investigation committee four months after Oh Yo-an-na's death, stating, "We have decided to establish an investigation committee led by an external Jeon Mun-ga-reul (Chairman)." The broadcaster added, "We have conducted an internal self-investigation and plan to provide maximum support to ensure the truth is quickly revealed. 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, initiating 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 death of the late Oh Yo-an-na.

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-an-na and her family. The broadcaster 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." It further stated, "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 against those involved." Additionally, MBC noted, "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 address any deficiencies in light of this announcement."

MBC stated, "We will further supplement and strengthen systems to address issues that may arise among freelancers and non-regular employees as quickly as possible. We will expand and strengthen the currently operating Clean Center to enable immediate reporting and resolution of harassment or difficulties. Regardless of employment type, we will improve the system so that colleagues can report anonymously with guaranteed anonymity." 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 family for the unfortunate incident involving the late Oh Yo-an-na."

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*This content was translated by AI.