Jang Yeon-mi, the mother of late MBC weathercaster Oyoanna, wept while holding her daughter's honorary employee certificate.
On the morning of the 15th at 10 AM, a press conference was held at the Golden Mouse Hall in MBC's new building in Sangam, attended by MBC and the family of the late Oyoanna. Present at the scene were MBC President Ahn Hyung-jun and the deceased's mother, Jang Yeon-mi, among other family members.
The event began with a moment of silence for the deceased. Following this, President Ahn Hyung-jun and the mother of the deceased signed a joint agreement, and President Ahn presented the honorary employee certificate to the mother. The mother burst into tears while holding the honorary employee certificate with her daughter's photo attached, evoking deep sympathy.
The mother began by saying, "Thanks to the support and concern of many people, we reached an agreement that seemed impossible after 28 days of fasting."
She continued, "Our Oyoanna really wanted to work at MBC. On the day she passed away while working hard every day, I lost the reason for my life. I have deep anger towards MBC, which takes no responsibility. Although I learned through the traces my daughter left behind why she had to make such a choice, I didn't know what to do."
She stated, "I learned that there are many suffering 'nominal freelancers' like our Oyoanna. I realized that there are people fighting against the issue of non-regular workers in broadcasting," and added, "After MBC's internal investigation and the Labor Ministry's special supervision, I decided to set up a hunger strike in front of a company that takes no responsibility. I thought I should become a mother who is not ashamed, which is why I stopped eating."
The mother demanded not only measures to prevent recurrence and an apology from the company but also the regularization of weathercasters. She said, "This is a demand to ensure that my daughter's death was not in vain," and explained, "I learned that the workplace bullying that drove our daughter to death is not just an individual issue but a structural problem. Therefore, I believe that the demand for regularization is a way to prevent a second Oyoanna."
She added, "I will closely watch how the introduction of the weather and climate expert system and the abolition of freelancers will be realized. There should be no sudden loss of jobs for existing weathercasters due to the introduction of new systems. Measures must be put in place to prevent disadvantages," and emphasized, "The promise of system improvement carries a very heavy weight. I know the impact it will have on the entire broadcasting company is enormous. The results obtained through struggle should not end as empty declarations. We must implement them one by one with a sense of heavy responsibility."
The press conference for the public was held in accordance with the agreement between MBC and the bereaved family. The mother of the deceased conducted a hunger strike in front of the MBC building last month, demanding an official apology, prevention of recurrence, and restoration of her daughter's honor on the occasion of the first anniversary of her death, and reached an agreement with the company after 27 days of the hunger strike on the 5th.
The agreement includes ▲ a public press conference between MBC and the bereaved family ▲ establishment of a memorial space for the deceased at MBC headquarters by September 15, 2026 ▲ abolition of the existing weathercaster position and transition to regular 'weather and climate experts' under the premise of not disadvantaging current employees.
[Kim So-yeon, Star Today Reporter]
