"What Could You Say on Yoo Quiz?"... Ministry of Employment and Labor Recognizes Harassment of Late Oh Yo-anna

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The Ministry of Employment and Labor has acknowledged that acts of harassment against the late Oh Yo-anna occurred. However, as it was difficult to consider the deceased a 'worker' under the law, the actions were not recognized as 'workplace harassment' in a legal sense.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced the results of its investigation into the workplace harassment case involving Oh Yo-anna on the 19th. The Seoul Regional Employment and Labor Office, Seoul Western Branch, had been conducting a special labor supervision since February.

This special labor supervision included examining the presence or absence of harassment against the deceased, MBC's organizational culture, and personnel management status.

According to the bereaved family, Oh Yo-anna suffered from verbal abuse for approximately two years, from the time she joined in 2021 until immediately before her death. Her suicide note reportedly contained content lamenting the workplace harassment she experienced from four senior weathercasters.

Some of the remarks made by senior staff were recognized as harassment. The Ministry of Employment and Labor cited an incident regarding the deceased's potential appearance on the show 'Yoo Quiz' as an example of harassment. In October 2022, a weathercaster allegedly criticized Oh Yo-anna, asking, "What could you possibly say if you go on Yoo Quiz?"

The Ministry of Employment and Labor pointed out, "After joining in 2021, the deceased frequently received guidance and advice from seniors regarding work, but acts that went beyond simple guidance and advice and were difficult to recognize as necessary for work in light of social norms were repeatedly carried out."

The reasons for recognizing these actions as harassment included: ① The deceased was a social newcomer with only 1-3 years of experience. ② Unnecessary remarks stemming from personal feelings were made on multiple occasions. ③ There was a significant emotional disparity in how guidance and advice were perceived between senior and junior staff. ④ The deceased consistently complained of mental distress to acquaintances and recorded this in her suicide note.

However, the Ministry of Employment and Labor classified Oh Yo-anna as a freelancer. Based on an investigation into her weathercaster duties using her social media, laptop, and other materials, they determined it was difficult to recognize her as a 'worker' under the Labor Standards Act. This determination means she is not recognized as a victim of 'workplace harassment' as defined by the law.

The reasons cited for this classification included: ① She did not perform tasks typically carried out by regular MBC employees, such as administration, shift duties, and events. ② Some weathercasters had exclusive contracts with external agencies or appeared on other broadcasts and engaged in personal for-profit activities. ③ There were no set working hours. ④ There was no separately defined vacation procedure, and weathercasters paid for their clothing costs directly.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor conducted a survey on the overall organizational culture, targeting all MBC employees. Out of 252 respondents, 115 (51%) reported having either experienced workplace harassment or sexual harassment themselves or being aware of a colleague who had been a victim.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor stated, "Although the specific regulations for workplace harassment were not applied to the deceased, we have determined that improvement of the overall unreasonable organizational culture is necessary. We plan to actively provide guidance for improvement by receiving improvement plans and checking their implementation status."

Oh Yo-anna's bereaved family had a subdued reaction to the result. In a phone call with Dispatch on the same day, they stated, "It's a relief that the harassment acts were recognized, but on the other hand, it's truly bitter. Weathercasters are still working within this system. We will continue to work hard to ensure the working environment can be improved."