In a real-life parallel to 'The Glory,' all MBC freelance weathercasters, including Kim Ga Young, are leaving the network as their contracts end, and MBC’s weathercaster system is being abolished after 31 years.
This includes Kum Cherim, a colleague of the late Oh Yoanna, as well as seniors Lee Hyun Seung, Kim Ga Young, and Choi Ah Ri.
On February 8, Kum Cherim posted on her social media, “Last Friday (the 6th) was my final day presenting the weather as a weathercaster. During the roughly five years I spent at MBC, I always delivered the weather with joy and excitement in front of the camera. I have no regrets because I gave my best in every broadcast. Still, it’s honestly heartbreaking and heavy to face the fact that a job and work I loved are coming to an end.”
Prior to Kum Cherim, Lee Hyun Seung, Kim Ga Young, and Choi Ah Ri all had their contracts with MBC terminated. Except for Kum Cherim, the three remaining weathercasters and a fourth individual, who resigned last year, were identified as perpetrators of workplace harassment against Oh Yoanna. When the late Oh Yoanna passed away, 17 pages of a suicide note were discovered on her phone, detailing her suffering from workplace harassment at MBC, shocking the public.
In particular, messages in a group chat on a mobile messenger involving the four - 'A,' Kim Ga Young, Choi Ah Ri, and Lee Hyun Seung - contained derogatory remarks about the deceased, such as “completely crazy,” “smells bad, the whole person,” “again, that person,” and “Yeon Jin from 'The Glory' at least did well on air.” The family has publicly stated, “The real demons were Lee Hyun Seung and Kim Ga Young. 'A' and Choi Ah Ri bullied her openly, but Lee Hyun Seung and Kim Ga Young harassed her behind the scenes. Neither of them even came to the funeral.”
However, in May last year, following a special oversight investigation, MBC concluded there was no evidence to regard three of the four - including Kim Ga Young - as perpetrators, terminating only A’s contract.
In September, despite objections from the family, MBC announced the abolition of the freelance weathercaster system. After 31 years, the weathercaster system was officially ended, and new positions were created for career “weather and climate experts,” replacing the previous weathercasters without contract renewal.
Meanwhile, Oh Yoanna’s family continues to pursue a damages lawsuit against A, seeking 510 million KRW (approx. 349,787 USD) in compensation.
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