There was bullying... Oyoanna Case, Employment Unusual Conclusion
May 19, 2025
|
According to an SBS report on the 17th, the Ministry of Employment and Labor concluded the special labor supervision conducted by MBC for about three months, saying, `I am not a worker, but there was an act that could be seen as bullying" came to a conclusion.
The deceased had been active on the weather team of the MBC news bureau since 2021 and ended his life with an extreme choice in September last year. Since then, the bereaved family has filed a lawsuit for damages against an MBC official, claiming that the deceased was bullied at work while he was alive.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor determined that Oyoanna was not a worker under the Labor Standards Act. It was considered that weather forecasters are generally not exclusive to one broadcaster, but work for a number of broadcasters as freelancers or agencies.
Nevertheless, the Ministry of Employment and Labor determined that Oyoanna had suffered an act that could correspond to bullying in the workplace. This is an unusual conclusion that deviates greatly from the practice of not considering whether the workplace is bullied unless it is recognized as a 'worker'. In fact, if the worker's nature was not recognized in the previous case of girl group New Jin's Hani, the judgment of harassment itself was not made.
In February, the Ministry of Labor launched a special labor supervision of MBC jointly with the Seoul Employment and Labor Office and the Western Branch Office, citing the bereaved family's absence from MBC's own fact-finding investigation, additional damage reports, and petitions from labor unions. At the time, the Ministry of Employment and Labor said "As the matter of the young man's unfortunate death, we will thoroughly investigate the truth."The investigation was accelerated under the direction of former Minister Kim Moon-soo.
The special director also inspected the entire MBC organization. In particular, freelancers PD, AD, and FD, who worked in the current affairs and culture sector, are also recognized as 'workers' and plan to order MBC to correct them, such as writing a labor contract. There is also a possibility that the judgment of worker quality for the entire freelance workforce in the broadcasting industry will be expanded.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor will strictly deal with violations of the law and guide similar cases not to be repeated" he said.
rightlight@sportschosun.com
