Comedian Park Narae released a 2-minute 24-second "final statement" video, and the Korea Entertainment Management Association (KEMA) officially announced a firm response, calling it a "serious act that hinders industry development."
On the 17th, KEMA's special committee on awards and sanctions and ethics mediation (hereinafter the awards and sanctions committee) expressed deep concern and regret regarding the Park Narae incident, saying it "disrupts the good morals and order of the popular culture and arts industry and is a serious act that hinders the development of the industry."
KEMA pointed to ▲allegations that Park Narae's side did not register for popular culture and arts planning business and did not enroll managers in the four major social insurances ▲allegations of workplace harassment such as forcing Park Narae's manager to run private errands and verbal and physical abuse ▲allegations of illegal medical procedures performed by unlicensed persons referred to as Park Narae's so-called "injection aunt" and "IV aunt" ▲allegations of nonpayment of Park Narae's hosting fees and embezzlement in which company funds were paid to an ex-boyfriend, among others.
KEMA said, "In light of the Park Narae incident, when popular culture and arts figures lack systems to control their social influence, inappropriate behavior by a star can occur and, without proper preparation, fail to be rectified, leading to social repercussions. Moreover, entertainers who perform and earn revenue because of public attention and affection carry significant responsibility as public figures. Continuing entertainment activities without first sufficiently seeking public understanding for incidents caused as a star of Korea and without respectfully and seriously taking responsibility and engaging in self-reflection as a public figure should be refrained from," it emphasized.
It went on, "KEMA's special committee on awards and sanctions will, if such problems arise in the future, encourage that related popular culture and arts figures engage in deep and serious discussions together so that actions to gain public consensus are taken first, and we will use this incident as an opportunity to properly establish the relationship between managers and entertainers in the industry. In addition, we will strive to make Korea's entertainment industry more transparent and of higher quality, and we again inform you that we will take the lead in the development of the entertainment industry," it said.
This statement by KEMA drew more attention because it came after Park Narae released a 2-minute 24-second "final statement" video. The awards and sanctions committee is a permanent special body of KEMA, established in 2009 as the industry's first self-regulation system to prevent harm from indiscriminate disputes among industry insiders, represent the public interest, and establish sound industry practices and social justice through self-cleansing. It is an organization that does its best to represent the public interest with truthful facts and thereby create a healthy and positive industry system.
Through mediation, arbitration and a self-regulation system for exclusive contract disputes, it mediates and arbitrates disputes within the industry through dialogue and compromise. The awards and sanctions committee leads the expulsion from the industry of harmful managers who cause confusion in the entertainment management industry, agencies that arrange sexual services for entertainers, agencies that habitually fail to pay managers' wages, drama and film producers and agencies that fail to pay actors' appearance fees, and others, making clear how seriously it views the Park Narae incident as it strives fairly and impartially to ensure the popular culture and arts industry moves forward correctly.
Until now, Park Narae had been loved for her warm image and for taking care of people. She created Narae Bar to invite acquaintances and have a good time, and on broadcasts she showed herself preparing side dishes and taking care of acquaintances, but paradoxically, while she could not take care of the closest manager whom she treated like family, she faced the biggest crisis of her entertainment career. In this process, those who stood by and supported Park Narae are also nowhere to be seen.
Park Narae's controversy does not stop at personal harm. Programs she was scheduled to appear on were canceled one after another, and damage is spreading to colleagues who would appear with her. Among those colleagues are close friends Jang Doyoun, Shin Giru and Heo Anna, and the production teams are deeply concerned even about segments that have already finished recording.
Meanwhile, in the "final statement" she released on the 16th, Park Narae said, "There are parts of the facts that need to be calmly verified regarding the current issues raised, and legal procedures are underway. I will not make additional public remarks or explanations during that process. I believe this matter is not a personal emotional or relational issue but something that should be verified objectively through official procedures."
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