On February 6, Dispatch released an interview with Oh Yoanna’s mother and audio of a phone conversation with a sunbae weathercaster.
September 15, 2024 10:55 AM KST.
Yoanna’s mom: Yoanna has gone to heaven.
Weathercaster B: What? Wait a minute. What are you saying?
Yoanna’s mom: She passed away last night due to an accident.
Weathercaster B was at a loss for words after hearing the news. According to the phone conversation, B used the phrase “Oh My God” 95 times during the 12-minute phone call.
During the nine-minute and four-second mark of the phone call, Yoanna’s mother mentions the name of a senior weathercaster.
Yoanna’s mom: Yoanna was so stressed out by A that she became depressed.
Weathercaster B: Oh no.
Yoanna’s mom: There were many times she said she wanted to die.
Weathercaster B: Ah…
Yoanna’s mom: You don’t know how heartbroken I was. I prayed every morning that A would meet a good person and get married so that she would stop making my Yoanna suffer.
Since then, 144 days have passed. Yoanna’s mother can only watch past broadcasts of her daughter. During her interview with Dispatch, she stated, “I am holding on by watching her past broadcasts. That way, I can at least listen to my daughter’s voice.”
Oh Yoanna’s mother raised her children as a single mother after getting divorced when Yoanna was in elementary school.
I raised Yoanna with everything I had. If there was something she wanted to do, I would let her do it even if it meant I would be in debt. That’s how I raised her…
— Yoanna’s mom
She also revealed that the two were very close, able to talk about anything without hesitation.
There was nothing that Yoanna couldn’t talk about. We talked about work, friends, and men. We talked on the phone every day and told me almost everything that went on. That’s why I knew how hard it was on her.
— Yoanna’s mom
Her mother also mentioned weathercaster A.
“I’ve heard a name constantly for three years. That person’s name came to mind first while standing in front of Yoanna’s body.
I heard A’s name for three years. I called Yoanna every day and cried, cursed, and tried to comfort her. But the wounds deepened and overlapped with depression…”
— Yoanna’s mom
Dispatch also met with Yoanna’s uncle, who is a police officer.
Yoanna took over ‘News Today’ instead of A after four months. That was the beginning.
— Yoanna’s uncle
In September 2021, A was in charge of News Today on weekdays. However, after missing the broadcast twice, A was replaced with Yoanna.
However, this change in position did no good for Yoanna. Yoanna’s mother remembers March 2022 clearly.
If I remember correctly, it was March 2022. Yoanna called and couldn’t breathe. She was crying and saying she was going crazy because A was making things hard for her.
— Yoanna’s mom
Oh Yoanna joined the company in May 2021 and took on the main role of MBC’s weather station in October of the same year.
It was only six months after joining the company. She was bound to be lacking. I didn’t expect kindness, but was it really necessary to make it this hard for her?
— Yoanna’s mom
In April 2022, she visited a psychiatrist after her mother recommended it.
She was having such a hard time because of A and couldn’t sleep so I told her to go to the hospital first. She received counseling and was diagnosed with depression.
Dispatch obtained Yoanna’s counseling records, which included statements such as, “I feel intimidated to go to work” and “company life where all I do is repeat the words ‘sorry’”.
The news broadcast was at six in the morning, so Yoanna relied on sleeping pills. If she couldn’t sleep, she would drink alcohol.
On August 20, she didn’t hear her alarm and was late to the broadcast. She was also late on October 18 and 28.
Ultimately, she left the news broadcast. An acquaintance of Yoanna asked Dispatch, “If there was no workplace bullying, would she have suffered from depression?”
Yoanna fell into a deep depression due to workplace bullying. She took sleeping pills and drank alcohol. She would be late, get in trouble, and would take pills again, and the vicious cycle continued.
— Yoanna’s acquaintance
According to MBC officials, they are blaming her for being late more than five times.
Oh Yoanna’s insincere work attitude was the cause.
— MBC officials
Yoanna’s mother was heartbroken once again by MBC’s attitude.
“She drank alcohol because she couldn’t sleep even after taking sleeping pills. She did something she shouldn’t have done. But on one hand, it breaks my heart to think how hard it must have been for her.
I can’t imagine just how hard she worked to survive. She was a weathercaster and a gym coach. If there was less work, she also worked part-time as a writer. I later found out that she even worked as a dishwasher at a restaurant. She did everything she could.”
— Yoanna’s mom
When asked why she was working so hard, Yoanna answered, “Mom, if you move around a lot you can sleep because you’re tired without having to rely on sleeping pills or alcohol. I want to do broadcasting well.”
Yoanna’s mother revealed that her daughter lived diligently every minute and every second of her life.
I’ve never seen anyone like my daughter, who lived so diligently and never stayed still for even a single minute or second. She worked so hard and left in vain.
— Yoanna’s mom
It was revealed that Yoanna received 1:1 voice lessons in 2023. She also did yoga and ran to overcome depression.
Yoanna kept trying. She wanted to be recognized by her seniors, but they didn’t change. No matter how hard she tried, she stayed in the same place.
— Yoanna’s mom
After asking herself numerous times as to why she made such an extreme decision, her mother came up with her own answer.
“Our Yoanna didn’t want to die. I think she wanted to live. When A pointed out her pronunciation, she took private lessons with money she didn’t have. She used the money she earned from other jobs to continue to grow and better herself.
I told her to quit. But she said she would do it until the end. She had a dream. But the reality was harsh. I think she wanted to show something with her death.
‘I told you guys I’m having a hard time. Are you listening to me? Will you listen to me if I die?’ Isn’t this what Yoanna wanted to say? Of course, her method was not right.”
— Yoanna’s mom
MBC also announced its position regarding Oh Yoanna’s death.
“The deceased never reported her hardships to the departments in charge or the managers she worked with while working as a freelancer.
Some articles have mentioned that the ‘deceased informed four MBC officials of her victimization before her death.’ Please let us know who those officials are.
At the same time, we are concerned about the actions of those who approach this issue as if they were using this opportunity to shake up the company without knowing the exact facts.”
— Yoanna’s mom
MBC titled Yoanna a freelancer, also known as a contract worker. Many risk their lives to renew their contracts. They don’t have the courage to express grievances to the HR or audit team.
Dispatch obtained the names of the people whom she confided in while covering the death of Yoanna.
Yoanna’s family has also filed a lawsuit against A for damages.
Lastly, Yoanna’s mother gave her position regarding the last sentence from MBC’s position.
There was a post saying that she apologized for eight hours before coming home. I burst into tears. She didn’t apply to MBC for this. She applied because she liked the company. I don’t want the weathercasters to get fired. I just wish they would apologize if they felt something was wrong. It’s the same for MBC. If there’s a problem, it should be fixed. This is too selfish. Investigation into the truth? They won’t even do it properly. I don’t expect anything. Will my daughter come back if they do that?
— Yoanna’s mom
Meanwhile, a weathercaster was recently accused in the Oh Yoanna’s workplace bullying controversy.
Weathercaster Accused In The Late Oh Yoanna’s Workplace Bullying Controversy Causes A Stir With Resurfaced Social Media Post
Source: dispatch
