Allegations have emerged that MBC weathercaster Oh Yoanna, who passed away last September, was subjected to workplace bullying.
Daegu and Gyeongbuk's comprehensive daily newspaper, Maeil Shinmun, reported on the 27th that “a suicide note totaling 2,750 characters over 17 pages was found on the unlocked phone of Oh Yoanna,” adding that “the note contained complaints about workplace bullying from two specific weathercasters.”
According to Maeil Shinmun, Oh Yoanna, who became a freelance weathercaster at MBC in May 2021, began experiencing bullying from March of the following year. The note indicated that a colleague weathercaster, who joined the company earlier, made false reports and blamed Oh Yoanna, while another weathercaster criticized her for pointing out incorrect weather information, saying, “How dare a junior point out a senior's mistake,” the media reported.
Additionally, it was revealed that in a KakaoTalk conversation, one weathercaster, despite being a freelancer, called Oh Yoanna to the office after working hours, claiming “I need to teach you,” and prevented her from leaving for over an hour to an hour and a half.
Oh Yoanna gained attention when she appeared as MBC's leading weathercaster on the tvN entertainment show “You Quiz on the Block” in October 2022. According to the media, when she received a request from the “You Quiz” production team, one weathercaster remarked, “What can you say if you go on You Quiz?”
Moreover, numerous messages and voice recordings from fellow weathercasters criticizing Oh Yoanna for a long time were also discovered.
The media reported that “according to the recording files and KakaoTalk conversations left by the deceased, Oh informed four MBC officials about her victimization before her death. However, after her passing, there were no significant issues raised, and MBC did not conduct a separate investigation into workplace bullying.”
The media stated that weathercaster A, identified as a perpetrator, did not respond to multiple phone calls and text messages. Another identified perpetrator, weathercaster B, said, “I don’t know if it’s right to call like this when we are all having a hard time. It feels a bit off,” and added, “If you want to talk, contact MBC.”
An MBC official told Maeil Shinmun, “We have not yet fully grasped the situation,” and added, “We will correct any mistakes we have made and will accept criticism.”
MBC has not yet issued a statement regarding the report.
Oh Yoanna's death, which occurred last September, was only revealed three months later in December. She was 28 years old. The cause of death has not been disclosed.
The late Oh, who was a former idol trainee, caught attention when she was selected as “Sook” in the 89th Chunhyang Beauty Pageant in 2019 for her elegant appearance. She was selected as an MBC public recruitment weathercaster in 2021, responsible for weekday and weekend weather news.
