Broadcaster Park Narae is facing allegations that she made managers prepare large-quantity meals, and a past episode of I Live Alone that showed her preparing holiday food for 20 people is receiving renewed attention.
Currently, Park Narae has been embroiled in multiple controversies after recent revelations by former managers, including abuse of power, proxy prescriptions, illegal medical practices and embezzlement. The former managers said that during Park Narae's time at her one-person agency they were subjected to verbal abuse, forced to run personal errands and not paid production fees, and they filed for a provisional seizure of real estate worth 100 million won at the Seoul Western District Court and submitted a complaint to the Seoul Gangnam Police Station on embezzlement charges.
In response, Park Narae's side countered that the former managers pressured them with false claims after being refused a demand for 10% of company sales and filed a counterclaim for attempted extortion. But the scandal grew when evidence emerged that Park Narae had received illegal procedures from an unlicensed medical practitioner known as 'injection aunt.'
As the controversy spread, Park Narae announced a suspension of activities. She said on her YouTube channel on the 16th that There are matters that require calmly confirming the facts and that legal procedures are underway, and that she would not make additional public statements or explanations during that process.
But as the former managers' revelations continued day after day, Park Narae has been engulfed in endless allegations. In particular, on the 22nd a YouTube channel released a video claiming that the former managers were busy with food preparation and errands whenever Narae Bar operated, drawing attention.
The former managers said Narae Bar days were extremely busy. They said they had to go to the seafood market, and that Park Narae changed lighting a lot depending on the actors or entertainers. Managers also changed lighting according to the entertainer's characteristics, and depending on the foods and items Park Narae chose that day, they sometimes went to Gwacheon or Gangwon-do to pick them up.
They also said that when Narae Bar parties started they had to wait inside the house and personally fetch drinks whenever they ran out, and in the case of wine they had to chill it before serving. In addition, whenever the type of wine changed they had to reorganize and present glassware by type, so all preparation and serving were the managers' responsibility.
The revelations did not stop there. According to the former managers, after Narae Bar ended they were responsible not only for washing dishes and sorting and disposing of trash but also for hailing taxis for attending entertainers and filming the taxis with a camera and sending the footage. Narae Bar usually wrapped up around 4–6 a.m., and as these tasks repeated, the managers reportedly worked more than 400 hours per month over a 1 year and 2 month period.
The behind-the-scenes of Park Narae's hearty spread revealed on MBC I Live Alone was also shared. Park Narae was loved for her "big-hearted" character who cooked personally for acquaintances, but the former managers said they were actually involved in much of the food preparation. For example, the lunchboxes for Code Kunst were made by the managers, and the large quantity of pancakes (jeon) broadcast as a holiday special was, they claimed, made with managers frying them beside her for two days and one night.
They added that during the kimchi-making episode, while filming the show the managers were grinding glutinous rice paste backstage. They said the radish, red pepper powder and garlic were also bought by the managers, and that Park Narae did the big tasks in front while managers had to prepare the glutinous rice paste and ingredients.
In addition, a 2023 Sept. episode of MBC I Live Alone in which Park Narae made Chuseok food for 20 people has again drawn attention. In the video, Park Narae woke up early, put on daily hanbok and prepared to cook. She said I always make jeon for the holidays so I thought I should share it with people around me. I prepared a modest 20 servings, and I prepared from 3 p.m. the day before until 10 p.m. It's exactly double last year.
Park Narae made 300 donggeurangttaeng, 300 sanjeok skewers, dongtae jeon, steamed skate, tteokgalbi and other items and delivered holiday food to acquaintances. When asked if there was no one to call, she retorted Who would you call at 5 a.m., and said I was giving gifts to people I was grateful to, so it felt odd to ask someone and I did it by myself.
But when revelations that the former managers made these foods surfaced, many expressed a sense of betrayal. The authenticity of the "hands-on big sister" character Park Narae had built through the program has been shaken, and the controversy appears to be spreading further.
[photo] MBC, OSEN DB, broadcast screen capture
[OSEN]