Late South Korean weather anchor Oh Yo-han: ”May not be considered workplace bullying”

As suspicions emerge that the late Oh Yo-anna, a weather anchor at South Korea's MBC who died in September last year, was subjected to harassment at work, experts have said, "We recognize this as workplace bullying."
On the 3rd, Kim Hyo-shin, a labor lawyer, said on YTN Radio's "News FM Smart Radio Life" that Oh was being harassed within MBC.
Regarding this, he said, "If there was a complaint of bullying in the workplace, as a manager I should have reported it to the company and taken appropriate measures to improve the situation. My response was insufficient."
In addition, in relation to the details of the harassment described in Oh's diary and the contents of the suicide note released by her family, she said, "Based on what has been reported, it is impossible not to acknowledge (the bullying in the workplace)."
"It appears that some kind of conduct occurred over a long period of time while the deceased was employed," he said, adding, "Recently, we have been considering the continuity, repetition, and intent of the conduct. The intent is unclear, but it is likely that the conduct continued.
"It seems that the incidents are persistent and repetitive. It is a typical example of workplace bullying," he said. However, he pointed out that Oh was working as a freelance weather anchor for MBC.
"Under the Labor Standards Act, only employees can receive protection from regulations regarding bullying in the workplace. Freelancers are not considered employees, so the Labor Standards Act itself does not apply to them."
Furthermore, in response to the question, "If an employee is under the direction and supervision of his/her superior in a manner equivalent to that of an employee, then wouldn't that employee be recognized as an employee?", he replied, "Whether or not an employee was under the appropriate direction and supervision is...
"It is included as one of the factors for determining whether an employee is an employee," but "the other 8 to 9 factors are taken into consideration comprehensively. If there is direction and supervision, and other restrictive clauses, it is not considered to be a labor contract."
"The possibility of the deceased being recognized as a juvenile increases, but we cannot say for certain," he added. Meanwhile, police are in the preliminary stages of a full-scale investigation into the allegations that the deceased was subjected to harassment at work.
Prior to this, the Mapo Police Station in Seoul responded to a complaint submitted to the government's online complaint hotline on the 21st of last month, asking for an investigation into Oh's case.
The family of Oh has also filed a lawsuit against the alleged perpetrator, a fellow MBC employee, seeking damages.
Oh passed away in September last year, but her family only revealed the details of the workplace harassment in December, three months after her death.
Before his death, he left a 17-page suicide note on his cell phone, in which he complained about the harm he had suffered at the hands of two specific weather forecasters.
Furthermore, it is understood that the deceased had complained about his abuse to four MBC officials during his lifetime, but received no action.