[OSEN]Following accusations of power abuse raised by former managers, allegations have now surfaced that the one-person agency through which Park Narae has operated was unregistered, causing the controversy to spiral out of control. Nevertheless, Park Narae is reported to have decided to continue her broadcasting activities for the time being.
Earlier, on the 4th, Dispatch reported that Park Narae's former managers filed an application for provisional seizure of real estate worth about 100 million won at the Seoul Western District Court. The former managers raised multiple allegations including workplace harassment, aggravated injury, coercion to run personal errands, proxy prescriptions and unpaid hosting fees, and they also warned of filing a damages lawsuit.
According to their claims, Park Narae assigned private tasks and forced drinking during work hours such as bringing side dishes, cleaning up after parties and family household chores, and the managers were verbally abused for not drinking and even suffered injuries from thrown drinking glasses.
The agency strongly denied this. They said that after severance pay was provided, the former managers demanded 10% of the company's previous year's revenue, and their requested amounts increased into the hundreds of millions of won over time. They also said, "Park Narae is suffering great mental shock from baseless claims and media pressure," and that they are preparing legal action.
#. the fallout centers on the operation of the "one-person agency"…allegations that it was unregistered
The controversy did not end there. According to reports, after leaving her former agency JDB Entertainment, Park Narae has been active under Anpark Co., Ltd., which her mother founded in 2018, but it was revealed that the corporation had not registered for the planning and production of popular culture and arts.
Anpark was registered only as an "event agency," and in practice served as Park Narae's de facto one-person agency. Under current law, if an unregistered entity manages entertainers, it can be punished by up to two years in prison or a fine of up to 20 million won, so the repercussions are unlikely to subside quickly.
A company official told OSEN, "We are currently preparing an official position with a law firm and will announce it as soon as it is finalized."
#. despite worsening public opinion…Park Narae will not suspend broadcasting activities
Despite the ongoing allegations, Park Narae is expected to continue her broadcasting activities for the time being.
OSEN reporting on the 5th found that although Park Narae has been psychologically hard hit by the successive revelations, she decided to continue the variety programs she appears on under the judgment that "she cannot cause harm to the programs."
A close associate of Park Narae explained, "I don't want to cause trouble for those appearing together, so she intends to maintain activities out of a sense of responsibility for as long as she can."
Park Narae is currently appearing on many popular programs including MBC's Save Me, Homes, I Live Alone, and tvN's Amazing Saturday. Regardless of whether the allegations are true, the burden on broadcasters is increasing, and depending on future official statements and legal procedures, program editing and appearance decisions could be affected.
#. the fallout is ongoing…official responses and legal rulings are likely to be turning points
The Park Narae case, which began with former manager revelations and extended to controversy over the agency's unregistered status, is spreading into new issues day by day.
However, many related claims are matters with significant differences in positions between the parties, and it will be necessary to ascertain the facts through future legal rulings and the agency's official explanations. Even as the controversy grows, the entertainment industry's attention is focused on what explanations and follow-up responses Park Narae will offer as she forges ahead with her broadcasting activities.
[Photo] OSEN DB