MBC Weathercasters Deliver Forecast in Black to Mourn the First Anniversary of Oh Yoanna's Passing

First Anniversary of Oh Yoanna's Passing
Weathercasters Wear Black in Mourning

On September 15, marking the first anniversary of the death of former MBC weathercaster Oh Yoanna, who is suspected to have taken her own life due to workplace bullying, MBC weathercasters delivered the weather report dressed in black. This appears to be a gesture of mourning on the anniversary of her passing.

Weathercasters Hyunseung Lee, Chaerim Geum, and Gayoung Kim appeared on the broadcast wearing black clothes. MBC YouTube

On September 15, MBC weathercasters wore black clothing while delivering the weather forecast. Weathercaster Hyunseung Lee appeared on the noon 'News Desk' broadcast wearing a black two-piece outfit with her hair tied back. Weathercaster Chaerim Geum wore a black dress on the 5 p.m. 'News & Economy' and the 9 p.m. 'News Desk.' Weathercaster Gayoung Kim wore a navy dress on the 6 a.m. 'News Today.' This is interpreted as an expression of condolence on the first anniversary of the late Oh Yoanna's passing.

On this day, MBC stated, "It has been one year since Oh Yoanna passed away. We offer our condolences and deepest sympathies to her family." The company added, "We have abolished the freelance weathercaster system and will introduce a meteorological and climate expert system to hire full-time employees. In addition to the previous role of weathercasters, these experts will be responsible for reporting, appearances, and content production, delivering professional meteorological and climate information. We plan to select candidates through an open recruitment process either at the end of this year or early next year."

The late Oh Yoanna. Instagram

Former weathercaster Oh Yoanna passed away on September 15 last year. Allegations were raised that she suffered from workplace bullying prior to her death, and her family filed a civil lawsuit against a colleague based on her will, call records, and messages found on her mobile phone. In response, MBC formed a fact-finding committee around the end of January this year.

In May, the Ministry of Employment and Labor announced the results of a special labor inspection conducted by the Seoul Regional Employment and Labor Office and the Seoul Western Branch against MBC. The ministry stated that "there was bullying within the organization" regarding the late Oh Yoanna, but also clarified that "she was not recognized as a worker under the Labor Standards Act, so workplace bullying regulations do not apply."

Jang Yeonmi, the mother of the late Oh Yoanna, has been on a hunger strike in front of the MBC headquarters in Sangam-dong, Seoul since September 8. Jang said, "I met with MBC to deliver my demands and called for a resolution, but there was no willingness to resolve the issue. Ahead of the first anniversary of Yoanna's passing, I am choosing to go on a hunger strike. Each day is agony after losing Yoanna. Living in a world without Yoanna, I am as good as dead. I cannot forgive MBC."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.