Weathercaster's death spotlights scanty protections for freelancers in broadcasting
Published: 11 Feb. 2025, 15:56
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- LEE SOO-JUNG
- [email protected]
![Oh Yoanna present weather forecast while working for local broadcaster MBC. Oh reportedly left a lengthy note about workplace bullying before her death. [SCREEN CAPTURE]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/02/11/cba1fb94-5361-4e89-8a79-a3159955afe0.jpg)
Oh Yoanna present weather forecast while working for local broadcaster MBC. Oh reportedly left a lengthy note about workplace bullying before her death. [SCREEN CAPTURE]
A 25-year-old freelance TV writer surnamed Kim, the most junior person in her team, told the JoongAng Ilbo recently that she could relate to the weathercaster’s death.
Kim said she had to immediately cater to her seniors’ demands, including orders to fetch water bottles, hand warmers and tissues. Even a moment's delay in her response was not tolerated. Failure to comply was met with biting remarks in a group chat.
Kim said that when she refused to carry out a relatively demanding task compared to her co-workers, her seniors told her, “How dare you decide what to do? Get your act together.” Kim’s seniors also asked her to behave “nicely,” adding that her actions are evaluated every minute.
“If I notified the company of unfair labor practices, I would be treated like a drama queen,” Kim said. She also said reporting the abuse would get her branded a troublemaker by other TV programs and producers.
She feared she could end up like Oh Yoanna "in this place where being patient is taken for granted.”
Oh, who worked for public broadcaster MBC on a freelance contract, died by suicide last September at the age of 28. Oh was reportedly subject to workplace bullying starting in March of 2022.
Another 27-year-old assistant director, whose family name is Seong, said his supervisor used to blame him for the supervisor's own mistakes. Seong said the supervisor also frequently made him work late at night.
“I could not speak out when they could reject my sick leave,” Seong said. “I struggled while trying not to fall out of favor with my team, watching them casually curse others daily.”
![An image of workplace harassment [JOONGANG ILBO]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/02/11/62d31e98-4126-4c1f-ab30-f81aa0600eb6.jpg)
An image of workplace harassment [JOONGANG ILBO]
The term "nonregular worker" usually refers to laborers who are not guaranteed permanent employment until retirement age and who do not work full-time, according to the Ministry of Employment and Labor. Freelancers are considered one type of nonregular employment, according to a report from the state-run Korea Communications Commission (KCC) in 2022.
They say they are in a blind spot with little legal defense against workplace bullying.
A provision prohibiting workplace harassment, legislated in 2019, only applies to workers considered “employees” in the Labor Standards Act.
In 2023, the Supreme Court upheld that a freelance TV announcer is not an “employee” of the broadcaster as the contract did not specify detailed working conditions.
The court noted that employees must provide labor to the employer based on a “subordinate relationship.” Employees must receive considerable supervision and direction from their employers, according to the court.
The local and appellate courts ruled that the announcer was not bound by the company, considering the autonomy granted to the announcer.
The limited legal scope appeared to exclude freelance, temporary and outsourced workers.
To seek legal relief, freelancers must prove that their employer “directed and supervised” their work. The burden of proof prevents them from filing complaints against their employers or companies.
According to the KCC's report, based on survey data in 2021, 13 major TV broadcasters employed 9,199 nonregular workers. The figure accounted for 66 percent of the entire employee count of 13,827.
By contract types, freelance employment accounted for 32.1 percent, followed by outsourcing at 19.2 percent. Another 15.3 percent were from subcontractors, and 12.5 percent were on individual temporary employment.
Kim, 35, a freelance broadcast writer with 10 years of experience, said the treatment of freelancers is absurd when companies cannot sustain their businesses without nonregular workers.
“Freelancers are meant to work autonomously and earn money according to their capabilities; however, in the broadcasting industry, freelancers work the same as their regular counterparts and get paid zilch,” the 35-year-old Kim said.
Declining employment stability has also intensified workplace discrimination and competition for contract renewals.
“What matters the most in the industry is my reputation, which my colleagues create,” a 26-year-old freelance TV writer surnamed Yu said. “When my position is guaranteed only when someone else drops out, defamation and rumors never stop.”
Labor advocacy groups in the media industry said the fundamental problem lies in “employing nonregular workers.”
Jin Jae-yeon, an official from a labor group named Ending Credit, said labor practices should change so that employers directly hire freelancers if they are full-time workers in practice, noting that several broadcasters task essential work to freelancers — not just MBC.
Kim Jong-jin, head of the Korea Worker Institute, said that relevant state authorities “should jointly inspect the labor environment of freelance workers in the broadcasting industry and advise them accordingly.” Kim noted that the government should not end its effort with a probe into Oh’s death.
“There should be a channel where nonregular workers could file their complaints, and authorities should incorporate the employment status of each broadcaster in their assessments,” Kim said.
If you or someone you know is feeling emotionally distressed or struggling with thoughts of suicide, LifeLine Korea can be contacted at 1588-9191. The Seoul Foreign Resident Center offers English-language counseling. Contact 02-2229-4900 to arrange a session. Other international helplines can be found at www.befrienders.org.
BY JEONG SAE-HEE, LEE SOO-JUNG [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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