Comedian Park Narae and her former manager's dispute entered a new phase as a recording was released amid allegations of abuse of power.
On the 10th, a YouTube channel released what is believed to be a recording of a call between Park Narae and former manager A. The recording contains a call the two had in the early morning of Dec. 8 last year. The call is known to have taken place just before Park Narae was about to say she had "cleared up the misunderstanding" with the former manager's side regarding their conflict.
In the released recording, A broke into loud sobs as soon as the call was answered, lamenting, "I don't know why it came to this," and "I didn't want to go this far." Afterwards, A asked about Park Narae's pet dog and used expressions such as "she's my love," and showed a relatively friendly attitude, worrying about Park Narae's health because she kept smoking.
A said, "I haven't been drinking for the past three weeks because I had to look after the youngest manager and follow the lawyer's advice, but I drank a little today," and added, "If I answered sober, I thought I would just cry, and the lawyer told me not to take the call for fear the recording would be used as evidence." Park Narae tried to calm A, saying, "Don't cry for now, what are you doing tomorrow?"
A said, "I was drinking in Mapo and I'm now near unnie's house," but when asked for the exact location, A rambled or avoided answering and repeatedly broke down, saying, "I hate this situation so much."
Public opinion quickly shifted after the recording was released. Right after the call, Park Narae said on her personal social media that she had "cleared up the misunderstanding with the former managers," but A's side later rebutted, saying, "There was no real apology or agreement. It was a conversation driven by emotion," and claimed that at the meeting to reach an agreement, Park Narae, while intoxicated, said things like, "Can't we work together again?" and "Let's go to karaoke."
However, the recording shows A was emotionally shaken while Park Narae appears relatively calm and trying to sort out the situation, leading to reactions that the former managers' claims lack consistency and their credibility is wavering. On the other hand, some said, "A recording is just a recording. Many emotions were probably mixed," and "It seems to be tangled with past affection and resentment. A lawsuit is a different matter," expressing that the former manager likely had many complicated feelings and layers of emotion.
Previously, the former managers accused Park Narae of verbal abuse, special assault, and forcing 24-hour standby, claiming so-called "abuse of power" and raising issues of unpaid wages and severance pay and non-enrollment in the four major social insurance programs. However, A's official manager career was not clearly verified, and claims were made that wages were set according to A's choice. It was also reported that A had a private corporation and requested payment as business income, and other staff who were present at the scene denied any verbal abuse, humiliation, or abuse of power.
As public sentiment has tilted toward Park Narae after the recording was released, some netizens have argued that the "abuse of power" controversy should be separated from the "injection aunt" controversy. Doubts about the former managers' claims are growing, but some say the allegations of illegal medical procedures remain an unresolved issue.
Earlier, it emerged that Park Narae received IV treatments, proxy prescriptions and psychotropic drugs from B, known as the so-called "injection aunt," who did not have a domestic medical license, stirring controversy. According to a report on SBS' Curious Story Y, B was known to have used business cards bearing the title "representative" at a cosmetic surgery clinic in Gangnam, Seoul, building trust. The clinic's director, however, explained, "B is not a doctor, and I only provided office space after B introduced themselves as someone who recruited overseas patients; I did not know medical procedures were being performed."
Park Narae's position is also that she did not know B lacked a medical license. Whether Park Narae knew the procedures were illegal in the future is seen as a key issue that will determine legal responsibility and the direction of public opinion.
Meanwhile, the Gangnam police station in Seoul recently searched B's residence and plans to summon B and Park Narae for questioning once analysis of the seized items is complete. Police are also investigating allegations of Park Narae's abuse of power. A provisional seizure of real estate worth 100 million won filed by the former managers with the Seoul Western District Court was granted, and the complainant investigation into charges of special injury and embezzlement has also been completed. Park Narae has countersued the former managers for attempted extortion and embezzlement, and the truth dispute between the two sides is expected to continue for the time being.<
[Photo] YouTube 'Baek Eun-young's golden time' video capture
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