The late weathercaster Oh Yoanna / Captured from her social media

The bereaved family of MBC weathercaster Oh Yoanna has filed a civil lawsuit against her colleague amid allegations that Oh had suffered bullying in the workplace before her death.

According to local media outlets, Oh's family filed a lawsuit against her colleague with the Seoul Central District Court on Dec. 23, seeking damages due to workplace bullying.

Oh's family claims that she had suffered about two years of verbal abuse and harassment from her colleagues, from October 2021 to just before she passed away in September at the age of 28.

The bereaved family explained that they made the issue public after discovering information from her diary and chat records that confirmed the circumstances of bullying.

Meanwhile, MBC has denied the allegations that Oh faced workplace harassment, stating that no formal complaints or reports were made while she was working for the media company.

"The deceased has never informed any relevant department — such as the HR counseling office — nor any managerial staff about her concerns or any instances of workplace harassment," the company said in a statement, Tuesday.

"MBC handles workplace harassment harshly and if a report is received from its employees as well as freelancers, the company launches an investigation without delay," the broadcaster said, adding that it is ready to launch a fact-finding investigation immediately upon the family's request.

However, the bereaved family expressed regret, saying, "We will not request facts from MBC. We hope that the company will investigate it voluntarily and issue a true apology."

Oh, a former idol trainee, joined MBC as a weathercaster in May 2021.

According to the company's labor union, Oh had experienced workplace bullying since her appearance on the interview variety show "You Quiz on the Block." Oh also received only 1.3 million won ($900) per month while working at the company, which is less than the minimum wage of 2 million won.