South Korean news outlet Maeil Shinmun revealed that the passing of MBC‘s weathercaster Oh Yoanna in September 2024 was, in fact, a suicide death…
…and that she left behind a will confirming she was bullied by two of her sunbae weathercasters.
According to Maeil, Oh Yoanna passed away on September 15, 2024. At the time, the bereaved family chose not to disclose the cause of her death, but it has since been confirmed that she had taken her own life—as a note was discovered on her cellphone.
Maeil reported that the note detailed Oh Yoanna’s struggle with workplace bullying. The long note is said to have contained accounts of two fellow MBC weathercasters harassing her since March 2022, shortly after she joined MBC as a freelancer in May 2021.
One weathercaster blamed her for the errors they made, while another became hostile toward her for correcting inaccurate weather information, accusing her of being disrespectful to her sunbaes.
In addition, Oh Yoanna was often held at the office long after work hours by her fellow weathercasters for “a lesson.” When tvN‘s You Quiz On The Block reached out to Oh Yoanna for an appearance, her fellow weathercasters attacked her, ridiculing her about the opportunity. Maeil confirmed that there were numerous text messages and voice recordings of her fellow weathercasters picking on Oh Yoanna for her “lack of skills” and other reasons.
#YouQuiz #YouQuizOnTheBlock
The most common thing I’ve been hearing lately = “I really enjoyed watching You Quiz”
🫣🫢🥹🙇🏻♀️🙏🏻It was such a huge honor to have the opportunity to introduce the profession of weathercasting. Truly, a moment I’ll cherish forever ✏️ As someone who never feels like I’m good enough, these memories come across as even more precious. 🥹
A big thank you to the production team and my sunbae–nims! I will continue to learn humbly and do my best! Please keep supporting me in the new year as well. 🐰
— Oh Yoanna
The text and audio files left behind by Oh Yoanna also revealed that the late weathercaster informed four MBC employees of the harassment she was experiencing. Maeil stated, “MBC did not conduct an investigation over the reported workplace bullying.”
One current weathercaster from another broadcaster told Maeil, “This is what happens when the broadcasters do not intervene a hierarchical ‘seniority culture’ forming among freelancers based on when they started working.”
Maeil reached out to Weathercaster A, identified as one of the two main bullies, but could not hear back. Weathercaster B, also accused of having bullied Oh Yoanna, snapped at Maeil, claiming, “We’re all going through a difficult time right now, so I’m not sure if it’s appropriate for you to be calling around like this. Whatever you want to hear, you’ll have to hear from MBC.” To that, MBC is said to have told Maeil, “We have not yet fully grasped the situation. We will right all wrongs that we may have done and accept whatever criticism we deserve.”
MBC currently has five weathercasters contracted: Kum Che Rim, Lee Hyun Seung, Choi A Ri, Kim Ga Young, and Park Ha Myeong. Maeil noted that two of these weathercasters did not attend Oh Yoanna’s funeral.
Source: Maeil
