Comedian Park Na-rae officially announced she would suspend activities after a string of controversies, including allegations of manager power abuse, illegal medical practices and failure to register a one-person agency. Her flagship variety show MBC I Live Alone also decided to suspend her appearances out of respect for Park Na-rae's wishes.
Park Na-rae posted a personal statement on her social media on the 8th. She opened by saying, "on the 11th of last month, the two managers who had lived like family suddenly resigned, and afterward we were not given opportunities to talk, so misunderstandings accumulated."
She continued, "with the help of many people, I was only able to meet face-to-face with the former managers yesterday. The misunderstandings and distrust were resolved, but I believe everything is my fault," and "as someone whose job is to bring laughter and joy, I judged that I could no longer be a burden to the program and my colleagues, so I decided to suspend all broadcasting activities."
Park Na-rae added, "I bow my head and deeply apologize to everyone who has trusted and supported me," and expressed an official apology and intention to reflect on her actions.
That day the I Live Alone production team issued an official statement acknowledging Park Na-rae's departure. The production team said, "we have been carefully discussing the various recent allegations to reach a fair judgment," and "considering the seriousness of the matter and Park Na-rae's intention to suspend activities, we have decided to stop her appearances on I Live Alone."
They added, "we apologize for the delayed response," and "the program will continue to do its best to deliver healthy laughter with a responsible attitude."
On the 3rd, Park Na-rae became the focus of controversy when two former managers filed for provisional seizure of her property. The former managers, who worked at Park Na-rae's one-person agency, claimed so-called "power abuse damages," including verbal abuse and assault, proxy prescriptions, unpaid hosting fees and constant personal errands.
There were also allegations of illegal medical practices, claiming that Park Na-rae received controlled substances by proxy from a figure known as the "injection auntie." In addition, the issue grew after allegations surfaced that she violated the Popular Culture and Arts Industry Development Act by failing to register a one-person agency.
In response, Park Na-rae's camp on the 5th rebutted, "the two former managers, after resigning, received their severance pay normally but demanded an additional 10% of company revenue. When we refused, they continued to pressure us with claims that were not true," and "we are taking legal action to respond to the spreading false information."
Regarding the illegal medical practice allegations, they explained, "she only received a proper home-visit treatment from a person with a medical license."
But the controversy did not subside easily, and Park Na-rae ultimately decided to withdraw from all broadcasts. It will be difficult to see her on major variety shows for the time being, including MBC I Live Alone, tvN Amazing Saturday and MBC Save Me! Homes.
Attention is focused on how Park Na-rae will find a way to return and what ripple effects this controversy will have across the broadcasting industry.
[photo] OSEN DB
[OSEN]