Jang Sung Kyu breaks silence amid controversy over alleged inaction in workplace bullying case.
Broadcaster Jang Sung Kyu has spoken out on social media amid accusations that he turned a blind eye to the workplace harassment suffered by the late MBC weathercaster Oh Yoanna.
On February 5th KST, Jang posted on his personal social media, writing, “I only learned of her passing in December, and I regret that I could only mourn her in my heart. Though it is late, I hope her grievances are resolved so she can rest in peace, and I hope her family finds comfort. If there is anything I can do to help, I will do my best.”
He continued, “When my name was first mentioned in this case, some of the details were untrue. It was upsetting, but I believed that my distress was nothing compared to the pain of the deceased and her family, so I chose to remain silent. However, as time passed, more people began to interpret my silence as an admission, and negative comments started appearing on my social media.”
Jang further explained, “Eventually, my family became the target of these malicious comments. To protect them, I restricted commenting to followers only. Unfortunately, this led to even harsher criticism, with people assuming it was an act of guilt. I do not wish to clear my name before the late Oh Yoanna’s grievances are addressed. However, I sincerely ask for restraint in directing hateful comments toward my family.”
Oh Yoanna, born in 1996, passed away in September of last year at the age of 28. Initially, the circumstances of her death were not publicly disclosed. However, it was later revealed that her phone contained a 17-page letter detailing her experiences of workplace bullying.
According to reports, the letter described harassment by two senior weathercasters. Incidents included shifting the blame for broadcast errors onto her and criticizing her for correcting inaccurate weather information, framing it as a junior disrespecting her seniors.
On January 23rd, Oh Yoanna’s family filed a lawsuit at the Seoul Central District Court against her colleagues for workplace harassment and emotional distress. MBC has since formed an independent fact-finding committee led by external experts, and the police have launched an internal investigation following complaints received through the National Sinmungo petition system.
On January 31st, the YouTube channel 'Garo Sero Research Institute' released an alleged phone call recording with an MBC insider. In the recording, the insider claimed that fellow weathercaster Kim Ga Young instigated tensions between Oh Yoanna and Jang Sung Kyu. “Kim Ga Young worked with Jang Sung Kyu on a morning show. She knew he and Oh Yoanna exercised together and were on good terms. So she allegedly told Jang, ‘She’s a liar. She has no XXX,’ making derogatory remarks. Hearing this, Jang then confronted Oh Yoanna, saying, ‘I heard you’re a liar,’ which left her shocked. She asked, ‘Who said that?’ and Jang replied, ‘Kim Ga Young told me.’”
Following these revelations, Jang Sung Kyu has faced mounting public backlash.
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