5 days ago
Alleged bully behind death of MBC's Oh Yoanna faces civil suit
Bereaved family of late former weather presenter seeks civil compensation, frustrated by legal loophole preventing punishment of perpetrators
The civil lawsuit related to the death of Oh Yoanna, formerly a weathercaster for broadcasting station MBC, is slated to resume in July, against a colleague pinpointed as having bullied her.
Local media reported Tuesday that the Seoul Central District Court will hold a hearing on July 22 in the compensation case filed by the bereaved family of Oh. The sentencing hearing was originally scheduled for March 27, but was postponed after the defendant — who had previously failed to respond to the court proceedings — submitted documents indicating she had hired legal representation.
Oh passed away last September at the age of 28. In 17 pages of notes written by the deceased, Oh had specified how she had been harassed at work. Four individuals were identified by local media as alleged perpetrators.
Oh's family later clarified that one of the four had been a bystander, not an active participant in the bullying.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor's investigation concluded earlier this month that there had been incidents of harassment against the deceased by her colleagues. However, it noted that this did not legally constitute workplace harassment as defined by the Labor Standards Act, because weathercasters by law are not recognized as 'workers.'
The ministry stated that it is not subject to criminal punishment or administrative fines as the Labor Standards Act does not apply to the vocation of Oh and her colleagues, adding that MBC is responsible for conducting an independent investigation and pursuing punitive actions for those responsible.
The bereaved family expressed regret over the government's conclusion.
"(Oh) did all that MBC told her to do, and the Labor Ministry says she's not a worker. Did the ministry make this decision not to get on MBC's nerves? How can it reach a decision that tears apart the bereaved family? Did they even properly investigate?" said Jang Mi-yeong, Oh's mother, about the ministry's announcement.
MBC expressed its condolences to Oh and her family after the ministry released its statement, and dismissed one of the alleged bullies from her post.
