The death of ex-MBC weathercaster Oh Yoanna last September brought sadness to many, frustrated about the unrevealed cause of her death.
Shock among the public arose after a 17-paged will was discovered in Oh’s phone. In it, she detailed the verbal abuse, blame, and exclusion she had been enduring from her co-workers. To be particular, she said she has been bullied by two specific weathercasters.
Senior weathercasters allegedly shifted the blame for broadcast errors to Oh Yoanna, and under the pretext of “needing to teach” her, called her back to the office after she had left, or even prevented her from leaving. This bullying and isolation started in March of 2022 after Oh had been hired as a Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) weathercaster in May of 2021.
Additionally, Maeil Newspaper reported that numerous KakaoTalk messages and voice recordings were found in which colleagues criticized Oh’s competence. In 2022, when she received an offer to appear on the tvN variety show, You Quiz on the Block, one weathercaster allegedly mocked her, saying, “What could you possibly have to say on You Quiz?”
In response to the revelations, Oh’s family filed a civil lawsuit against two individuals at the Seoul Central District Court, seeking accountability for their alleged role in the bullying. Meanwhile, Kim Ga-young, another weathercaster at MBC, resigned amid speculation about her involvement in the controversy.
MBC has yet to issue a formal statement addressing the allegations, but growing public pressure has fueled demands for a thorough investigation into workplace harassment within the company.
Oh’s death has sparked a con in South Korea’s workplace culture, particularly the vulnerabilities faced by freelancers, who often lack legal protections against mistreatment. In response, lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties have called for reforms to improve working conditions and prevent similar tragedies.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor has launched a preliminary investigation into the case, signaling a potential policy shift toward stronger protections for non-permanent employees.
Many have drawn parallels between Oh’s story and The Glory, where relentless school bullying leads to devastating consequences. The scandal has fueled debates over the real-life consequences of unchecked harassment, with many demanding systemic change.
“It feels like The Glory is happening in real life,” Seungmin Jeong (11), The Glory fan, said. “I never thought a story about bullying and power abuse would mirror reality so closely. It’s heartbreaking.”
