The Korea Entertainment Management Association opened its mouth regarding the recent controversy involving broadcaster Park Na-rae and urged thorough investigation by law enforcement agencies.
On the 17th, the Korea Entertainment Management Association (hereinafter KEMA) issued a statement saying, "The association officially announces that it will take decisive action regarding the issues revealed by the recent controversy involving popular culture artist Park Na-rae."
It added, "The KEMA special body disciplinary committee judged that Park Na-rae's actions in this matter seriously disrupted the wholesome customs and order of the popular culture and arts industry and hindered the industry's development, and expressed deep concern and regret over the confusion and major repercussions caused across the entertainment industry."
KEMA urged law enforcement agencies to conduct a thorough investigation and punishment regarding allegations that Park Na-rae's side was not registered for popular culture and arts planning business and failed to enroll managers in the four major social insurances, and called on Park Na-rae's side to provide an official explanation and actively cooperate with the investigation.
It emphasized, "A thorough investigation should be conducted into why Park Na-rae's managers were not enrolled in the four major insurances, and if there was an act of evading the common-sense and proper obligation of employment contracts, appropriate sanctions should be imposed, so we again urge a thorough investigation and punishment."
KEMA also said regarding reports that Park Na-rae abused former managers, "If the reporting is true, Park Na-rae should provide a clear explanation of the facts and offer an official apology," and added, "Although entertainers and managers should work as partners, it is a deeply rooted malpractice that entertainers allegedly boss managers around and force tasks unrelated to entertainment activities, which must disappear from the entertainment industry."
KEMA also pointed to the controversy over the so-called injection aunt, nonpayment of event fees and the act of giving company funds to an ex-boyfriend, saying, "Entertainers who perform and generate revenue thanks to public interest and love also bear a great responsibility as public figures," and added, "As a Korean star involved in a problematic incident, continuing entertainment activities without first seeking public understanding of those activities and sincerely and seriously taking responsibility and showing self-restraint as a public figure should be avoided."
Meanwhile, Park Na-rae's side rebutted the former managers' claims and countersued those managers on the 6th on charges of extortion, and the agency said, "After receiving severance pay, they demanded an amount equivalent to 10% of the company's previous year's sales," and called the allegations about paying an ex-boyfriend's salary "inflated falsehoods" and "absurd claims used to put pressure."
The following is the full text of the Korea Entertainment Management Association statement
The Korea Entertainment Management Association (hereinafter "KEMA") special body disciplinary and ethics committee (hereinafter "the disciplinary committee") officially announces that it will take decisive action regarding the issues revealed by the recent controversy involving popular culture artist Park Na-rae (hereinafter "Park Na-rae").
The KEMA special body disciplinary committee judged that Park Na-rae's actions in this matter seriously disrupted the wholesome customs and order of the popular culture and arts industry and hindered the industry's development, and expresses deep concern and regret over the confusion and major repercussions caused across the entertainment industry.
Accordingly, regarding the fact that a complaint has been filed with the relevant investigative agencies through the national petition system accusing Park Na-rae of special injury and violations of the Medical Service Act and the Popular Culture Industry Development Act, the disciplinary committee states the following position.
a. Allegations that Park Na-rae's side was not registered for popular culture and arts planning business and failed to enroll managers in the four major insurances
(1) Although the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has recently been guiding procedural requirements and inducing registration for unregistered popular culture and arts planners and has been in an advisory period in which legal procedures such as referring unregistered planners to investigative agencies or administrative investigations are to be taken, according to media allegations, Park Na-rae established a corporation with her mother as CEO and operated a popular culture and arts planning business for more than a year without completing registration, seemingly engaging in illegal operations of popular culture and arts planning. Under the Popular Culture Industry Development Act, a popular culture and arts planning business operator who conducts illegal business without registration may be subject to up to two years in prison or a fine of up to 20 million won.
Therefore, we urge a thorough investigation and punishment by the relevant investigative agencies and call on Park Na-rae's side to provide an official explanation and actively cooperate with the investigation.
(2) Media reports indicate that Park Na-rae contracted with managers in a freelancer form (3.3% withholding tax) without employment contracts until September this year and did not enroll them in the four major insurances, while Park Na-rae's mother and ex-boyfriend appear to have been registered as company executives and enrolled in the four major insurances. According to media reports, former managers continuously requested enrollment in the four major insurances but claim that Park Na-rae did not do so. Although there were opportunities to resolve this during the process, failing to handle it wisely can be seen as Park Na-rae's side illegally and negatively shirking responsibility.
Accordingly, through the relevant investigative agencies, a thorough investigation should be conducted into why Park Na-rae's managers were not enrolled in the four major insurances, and if there was an act of evading the common-sense and proper obligation of employment contracts, appropriate sanctions should be imposed, so we again urge a thorough investigation and punishment.
b. Forcing Park Na-rae's managers to run personal errands, workplace harassment such as verbal abuse and assault
According to media reports, former managers of Park Na-rae claimed, "Park Na-rae forced attendance at drinking parties, sent them to get side dishes, made managers wait 24 hours for duties such as cleaning up after parties, even entrusted family matters and used them as household helpers, subjected those who did not drink to verbal abuse, and suffered workplace harassment and verbal abuse and assault, including injuries from a thrown glass when she was angry." If such reporting is true, Park Na-rae should provide a clear explanation of the facts and an official apology.
Even though entertainers and managers should work as partners, it is a deeply rooted malpractice that entertainers allegedly engage in "gapjil" toward managers and force duties unrelated to entertainment activities; this must disappear from the entertainment industry. To prevent repetition of such malpractices, the relationship between managers and entertainers should be reestablished as a normal personal relationship based on mutual respect. If such acts are proven to be true, the KEMA special body disciplinary committee will take all possible measures at the association level.
c. Allegations of illegal medical procedures performed by unlicensed persons known as the so-called "injection aunt" and "IV drip aunt" for Park Na-rae
According to media reports, Park Na-rae is said to have received illegal medical procedures from people known as the so-called "injection aunt" and "IV drip aunt." The issue is whether Park Na-rae knew that those called the so-called "injection aunt" and "IV drip aunt" were nonmedical personnel; if she knew, this could constitute a serious criminal act (violations of the Medical Service Act, etc.). There are also allegations that she received injections and was prescribed psychotropic drugs by unlicensed medical practitioners called the "injection aunt" and "IV drip aunt."
If such allegations are proven true, this would be a clear criminal act and a serious illegal act that damages the dignity of a public figure entertainer, so a thorough investigation by the relevant investigative agencies should be conducted and Park Na-rae's side should provide an official explanation.
d. Allegations of unpaid event fees and embezzlement, including paying company funds to Park Na-rae's ex-boyfriend
(1) According to statements by Park Na-rae's former managers reported in the media, they claim, "While doing company work, personal expenses were not properly paid," and "There were cases in which various food ingredient costs and alcohol purchase costs were unpaid."
If such claims are true, not even reimbursing managers for event expenses they personally paid out of pocket for Park Na-rae's entertainment activities could constitute extortion and is a very serious matter to be addressed in the same context as wage arrears; we will ascertain the facts and take strong measures in response.
(2) Media reports also say that Park Na-rae was accused of embezzlement for paying company money to her ex-boyfriend. The complaint allegedly states that the ex-boyfriend was falsely listed as a company employee and that public funds were paid to the ex-boyfriend as salary at roughly 4 million won per month, about 44 million won from January to November this year, and also claims that about 300 million won was transferred from the company account to cover jeonse deposit preparation.
If such cases are proven true, this would clearly be embezzlement of public funds for private use, and we urge a thorough investigation by the relevant investigative agencies.
In light of the Park Na-rae incident, when popular culture artists' bad behavior occurs due to a lack of a system to control social influence, it leads to social repercussions without proper preparation and purification. Moreover, entertainers who perform and generate revenue thanks to public interest and love also bear a great responsibility as public figures.
As a Korean star involved in a problematic incident, continuing entertainment activities without first seeking public understanding of those activities and sincerely and seriously taking responsibility and showing self-restraint as a public figure should be avoided.
Accordingly, the KEMA special body disciplinary committee will, when such issues arise in the future, engage in in-depth and serious discussions with the relevant popular culture artists to encourage actions that gain public sympathy, and will use this incident as an opportunity to properly establish the relationship between managers and entertainers in the industry. Furthermore, we will strive to make Korea's entertainment industry more transparent and of higher quality and will take the lead in the development of the entertainment industry.
[Photo] OSEN DB, provided by the Korea Entertainment Management Association
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