Broadcasters Park Na-rae and Cho Sae-ho, who had been loved for their friendly images, have been hit as those images have led to suspicions and rumors.
Park Na-rae established herself as a likable star by showing consideration for others and generosity through MBC I Live Alone and other programs. Having ended 10 years of obscurity, he invited acquaintances to "Narae Bar" to build friendships and create episodes, and even won an entertainment award.
However, that "heavy drinking image" has now become poison. According to Dispatch on the 4th, Park Na-rae's former managers filed an application for provisional seizure of real estate at the Seoul Western District Court. The former managers also announced plans to file a compensation lawsuit worth about 100 million won, alleging damages suffered during their period of employment.
According to the report, the former managers claim workplace harassment, special injury, proxy prescriptions, unpaid event fees and other issues against Park Na-rae. The former managers are said to have submitted additional evidence to the court proving Park Na-rae's misconduct, and they alleged she privately mistreated them by making them run errands for side dishes, clean up after parties, force them to drink, handle family matters and act as household help. In particular, the former managers said they were verbally abused for not drinking, were injured by a glass thrown in anger, and were not properly reimbursed for personal expenses incurred while doing company work. The former managers, unable to tolerate Park Na-rae's tyranny, decided to resign and asked the company to settle outstanding costs, but said they only received a response that the company would "sue for defamation and forgery of private documents."
As Park Na-rae's side remained tight-lipped for two days saying they were "checking" the matter, Park Na-rae's past actions have been "Exhuma," turning her heavy drinking image into poison. The cheerful, boisterous persona was overshadowed by the revelations from former managers. With no statement yet from Park Na-rae's side, many are taking a "neutral stance," but the longer it drags on, the more the damage to her image accumulates.
If Park Na-rae's "heavy drinking image" became poison, Cho Sae-ho's "widely connected image" also backfired. Cho Sae-ho is known for having wide connections even in the entertainment industry. His wedding last Oct. reportedly had as many as 900 guests. He built goodwill by cultivating friendships across the entertainment industry and various other fields.
Cho Sae-ho, famous for his wide connections, was embroiled in an unexpected allegation of ties to organized crime. A recent SNS account that claims to receive reports of illegal criminals for private sanctions raised suspicions related to Cho Sae-ho's acquaintances. According to the account, Cho Sae-ho promoted a franchise run by a member of an organized crime group under the pretense of acquaintance, frequently socialized and drank with them, and received expensive gifts.
Cho Sae-ho's side said, "A, who is known as the source of this report, mentioned the friendship between Choi and Cho Sae-ho on the SNS account he operates and raised the suspicion that 'Cho Sae-ho is directly or indirectly involved in Choi's actions.' However, this is only A's personal speculation and we clearly state it is not true," adding, "A also raised the suspicion that 'Cho Sae-ho received money or expensive gifts from Choi.' But this, too, is nothing more and nothing less than A's personal speculation, and we clearly state it is unrelated to the facts," the statement said. They quickly issued an official position and took a strong response, but it was a case where his widely connected image became toxic.
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