TV personality Jang Sung-kyu / Captured from his Instagram

TV personality Jang Sung-kyu has once again denied allegations that he ignored workplace harassment targeting Oh Yoanna, who took her own life in September last year.

Oh had made allegations that she fell victim to persistent workplace bullying by her colleague at MBC, one of Korea's major broadcasters.

Jang posted a lengthy statement on his social media on Tuesday, saying, "I originally planned to share my stance after the late Oh and her family found peace. However, her family felt sorry that I was facing secondary harm and strongly encouraged me to clarify the situation, so I am cautiously posting this message."

Oh's death in September last year, which made headlines three months after in December, brought attention to allegations of workplace harassment at MBC after it was revealed she had filed harassment complaints. She had also written in a note that she faced continued bullying.

Some YouTubers and online commenters accused Jang of knowing about Oh's struggles and failing to intervene.

Jang, on Feb. 5, denied the claims on social media, saying, "That is not true," and expressed hope that Oh's grievances would be addressed.

Explaining his decision to speak up again, Jang shared details about his first encounter with Oh, saying, "I first met the late Oh in 2022 after finishing a radio broadcast and heading to the gym. She introduced herself as a junior colleague of weathercaster Kim Ga-young and said that Kim cared for her and looked after her. Oh also said that she considered Kim her role model."

According to Jang, Oh sought his advice at the time. "Based on my own experiences, I told her that the difficulties she was facing were likely due to jealousy and resentment from others and encouraged her to stay strong and overcome them," he said.

However, he sensed that his words were not enough.

"Oh brought up her concerns again, and I felt my support alone wasn't sufficient. So, I suggested to Kim Ga-young — who I thought was fond of Oh and close to her — that we help her together. But Kim said it would be difficult due to internal work-related circumstances," Jang said. "That's when I realized their relationship had changed, and I refrained from conveying any further messages between them."

Expressing regret, Jang added, "I still deeply regret not taking more proactive action at the time. But I never had the conversations mentioned on a certain YouTube channel. I recently learned that, per the family's wishes, Oh's funeral was held with minimal external notifications. I was never contacted and only heard about her passing through the news at the end of last year."

Alongside his statement, Jang released screenshots of his past conversations with Oh and said that he would take stern legal action against malicious comments.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, a sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.