A red flag has been raised over the operation of one-person agencies in the entertainment industry. It emerged one after another that Ok Joo-hyun, Sung Si-kyung, Gang Dong-won, Kim Wan-sun, Song Ga-in, and recently Lee Ha-nee had operated their agencies without registering in the popular culture and arts planning business, plunging the industry into major confusion. As anxiety grew over "how far this will spread," ultimately Park Na-rae was swept up in the whirlpool of unregistered allegations.
According to recent reports, the 'Hope Project' founded by Lee Ha-nee was also confirmed to have been operated without fulfilling registration obligations. Current law stipulates that managing a celebrity without registration can result in imprisonment for up to two years or a fine of up to 20 million won. Lee Ha-nee's side said "we did not sufficiently recognize the obligation" and promised to register belatedly.
The problem is that this issue does not seem to end as Lee Ha-nee's personal mistake. Many stars, including Gang Dong-won, Song Ga-in, Kim Wan-sun, Sung Si-kyung, and Ok Joo-hyun, have apologized or begun the registration process for the same problem. Netizens are divided between criticisms such as "Is not knowing the law an excuse?" and "Celebrities should be more thorough," and opinions that "the system itself is so complicated that it creates structural problems."
Experts also point out that it is hard to see this as a simple administrative error. The popular culture and arts planning business registration system has been emphasized since it was implemented in 2014 to protect the rights of entertainers and block illegal operations. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) said it will operate a guidance period until Dec. 31, and warned that it will take strong legal action if the unregistered status is maintained afterward.
Amid this turmoil shaking the entire entertainment industry, the controversy around Park Na-rae escalated to include problems with the agency he had operated.
On the 4th, Dispatch reported that Park Na-rae was subjected to a provisional seizure application of about 100 million won by former managers. The former managers raised allegations of workplace harassment, being forced to run personal errands, and special injury, and have announced plans to file a damages lawsuit. Before the controversy subsided, additional allegations arose that Park Na-rae's one-person agency had been operated in an "unregistered status," amplifying the fallout.
According to reports, after Park Na-rae left his former agency JDB Entertainment last year, he worked for more than a year at Anpark Co., Ltd., which his mother founded in 2018, but that corporation had not registered for the popular culture and arts planning business. Anpark was registered only as an event agency, but it was reportedly functioning in practice as Park Na-rae's one-person agency.
Under current law, managing a celebrity without registration can result in imprisonment for up to two years or a fine of up to 20 million won, so the repercussions of the controversy are expected to grow.
A representative of the agency told OSEN, "We are currently organizing an official position with a law firm," and said, "We will announce it as soon as it is finalized."
As the 'one-person agency unregistered crisis' that has spread throughout the entertainment industry shows little sign of subsiding, with Park Na-rae also facing unregistered allegations, he has found himself at the center of the controversy. Before the guidance period ends, how quickly and transparently the entertainment industry corrects the problem remains to be seen, and responsible measures across the industry are being demanded.<
[Photo] OSEN DB
[OSEN]