The second hearing date for the damages lawsuit against A, a colleague weathercaster identified as the perpetrator of workplace bullying against the late MBC weathercaster Oh Yoanna, has been postponed.
According to the legal community on the 4th, the 48th Civil Division of the Seoul Central District Court (Chief Judge Kim Do-kyun) has changed the second hearing date for the damages claim lawsuit related to workplace bullying filed by the deceased's family from September 23 to October 14 at 10:30 AM.
Recently, the defendant A's side submitted a request to change the hearing date, which the court accepted, leading to the postponement.
The bereaved family filed a damages claim lawsuit against A in December last year, after the deceased passed away. The amount claimed is 510 million won. A did not submit any opinion to the court afterward, and the court had designated March 27 as the judgment date, expecting a judgment without a hearing.
However, two days before the judgment, A appointed a legal representative and submitted a power of attorney along with a preparatory document, leading to the cancellation of the judgment without a hearing. The first hearing took place on July 22.
During the first hearing, A's side argued, "The claims of the bereaved family do not consider the relationship and actions between the deceased and A, the circumstances at the time, and the overall context of the conversation, but only edit some parts of the conversation." They claimed, "A has never bullied the deceased at work, and asserting that A's actions caused the deceased's death is misleading." They also emphasized, "The deceased maintained a good relationship with A until her death," and "It is difficult to acknowledge a causal relationship between the deceased and A."
The bereaved family countered, "The fact that A bullied the deceased and that the deceased complained of mental distress remains unchanged," and argued, "The conversation that seemed friendly was merely to avoid upsetting a superior at work, and it cannot be seen as having a good relationship."
Meanwhile, the late Oh Yoanna passed away suddenly in September last year. The news of her death was reported three months later in December.
Subsequently, in January, a 17-page suicide note was discovered on the deceased's mobile phone, raising suspicions that she was a victim of workplace bullying.
The note reportedly contained indications of workplace bullying, including instances where a weathercaster who joined MBC earlier blamed the deceased for a false report, and another earlier weathercaster criticized her for pointing out incorrect information, saying, "How dare a junior point out a senior." Additionally, it was reported that there were numerous messages and recordings criticizing her for being called back to the office after work hours under the pretext of "needing to teach" and for being told she lacked skills.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor formed a special labor inspection team in conjunction with the Seoul Regional Employment and Labor Office and the Seoul Western Office to conduct a special labor inspection. In May, the Ministry announced the results of the investigation, acknowledging that "beyond simple guidance or advice, statements that are difficult to recognize as necessary for work in social norms were repeated" regarding the bullying of the deceased. However, they concluded that they could not classify the deceased as an MBC employee, thus not applying the "Workplace Bullying Prevention System."
MBC decided to terminate the contract with A, while the other three individuals identified as being involved in the bullying were re-contracted.
[Kim So-yeon, Star Today Reporter]
