[Exclusive]Meteorologist accused of being the perpetrator in the case of the late Oh Yo-anna, to appear in court at any time.. Court imposes administrative fine [Comprehensive]

*This content was translated by AI.

• Witnesses failed to appear despite objections filed.. Defense attorney states, "Will clarify position after the trial concludes"

In the civil lawsuit for damages regarding workplace harassment against the late Oh Yo-anna, a meteorologist identified as the perpetrator failed to appear for witness examination, prompting the court to ultimately decide on imposing an administrative fine.

According to StarNews, Seoul Central District Court Civil Collegiate Panel No. 48 (Presiding Judge Kim Do-gyun) decided on June 18 to impose an administrative fine on the non-appearing witness following the sixth trial session related to the workplace harassment case of the late Oh Yo-anna and re-served a summons for appearance. The witness has since filed an objection to the fine decision.

Previously, the court had announced plans to examine four individuals as witnesses, including two meteorologists identified as perpetrators; however, both meteorologists failed to appear. One submitted a statement of non-appearance reasons, while the other was confirmed not to have received service by public notice.

During the fifth trial session, since none of the four selected witnesses appeared in court, the panel stated, "We will proceed with address correction procedures for the two absent meteorologists and consider imposing administrative fines if they fail to appear again." Following this, witness examinations regarding the late Oh Yo-anna's colleague meteorologist were completed in closed session, while a producer from the weather team is scheduled to resume witness examination in August.

Meanwhile, an attorney for one of the meteorologists identified as the perpetrator appeared in court today. Speaking with StarNews, the attorney said, "We have been closely following this trial," and added, "We plan to clarify our position after the trial concludes." However, the attorney declined to comment on reasons for non-appearance or recent developments.

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

In response to the growing controversy, MBC established an investigation committee four months after Oh Yo-anna's death, stating, "We have decided to form an external Jeon Mun-ga-reul (Chairman) investigation committee." The broadcaster added, "We conducted an internal self-investigation and will provide maximum support to ensure the truth is quickly uncovered. We will make every effort to clarify the exact facts so that the grief of the bereaved family can be healed."

The Ministry of Employment and Labor also formed a special labor inspection team in February 2025, jointly with Seoul Local Labor Office and Seoul Western Branch, and launched a special labor inspection against MBC. While concluding that "meteorologists do not qualify as employees," the ministry determined that "there were acts constituting harassment." This marks approximately eight months after the late Oh Yo-anna's death when the Ministry of Employment and Labor recognized workplace harassment.

Through an official statement, MBC stated, "We take the results of the special labor inspection by the Ministry of Employment and Labor very seriously," expressing condolences to the late Oh Yo-anna and her family. The broadcaster further said, "We will make our best efforts to prioritize preventing recurrence, improving organizational culture, and complying with labor laws as top management priorities." It added, "We deeply accept the Ministry of Employment and Labor's judgment that 'there were acts of harassment' against Ms. Oh Yo-anna and will immediately undertake efforts to improve organizational culture. Appropriate measures will be taken regarding those involved." Additionally, MBC stated, "Based on the 'organizational culture improvement plan' previously submitted to the Ministry of Employment and Labor, we are already implementing improvement measures. We will re-examine and address any deficiencies in light of this announcement."

MBC also said, "We will further strengthen and improve systems to quickly resolve issues that may arise among freelancers or between regular and non-regular employees. We will expand and reinforce 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 colleagues can report anonymously when they become aware of such incidents." It further stated, "Regarding the determination of employee status for some freelancers, we will conduct legal review and implement appropriate measures as soon as possible." The broadcaster concluded by saying, "We sincerely apologize once again to the bereaved family for the unfortunate incident involving Ms. Oh Yo-anna."

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*This content was translated by AI.