Public sympathy for comedian Park Na-rae has once again been overturned.
The allegations of power abuse by Park Na-rae that began on the 3rd of last month enter a new phase almost daily. Park Na-rae's former managers announced plans to file a damages lawsuit seeking about 100 million won, alleging workplace harassment, special injury, proxy prescriptions, and unpaid hosting fees, while Park Na-rae countered by filing complaints against them for attempted blackmail and embezzlement in the course of duties.
After releasing a video containing her final statement on the 16th of last month and then keeping silent, Park Na-rae gained public sympathy following the leak of a private sexual act in a vehicle and the release of recorded phone calls with a former manager. Although Park Na-rae faced allegations of power abuse, some people felt sorry that her private life had been exposed, and the release of call recordings that undermined the former manager's credibility played a major part in forming sympathy toward Park Na-rae.
However, additional statements from the former manager and reporting by one media outlet caused the sympathy for Park Na-rae to vanish like a mirage. The former manager released a long statement that included a "truth about the dawn gathering," the "core of the agreement," the "issue of enrollment in the four major social insurances," and "career distortion," along with a sharp rebuke directed at the shop owner who recently testified that there was no power abuse. The former managers refuted most of the contents of the call recordings, claiming that Park Na-rae showed insincere attitudes, such as sending messages like "What do you need besides money?"
With the additional statement bringing renewed attention to new claims related to the theft at Park Na-rae's home and new details about care for her pet dog Bokdori, one media outlet reported that the former managers had to handle not only Park Na-rae's personal errands but also family-related tasks and even proxy prescriptions during their duties. In that report, the former managers released medical verification and messenger conversations related to a proxy prescription for obstetrics and gynecology medication at the time, and expressed mental anguish with comments such as "Why do I have to get treatment?", "It feels like my medical data is getting tainted," and "It was hard to endure." They also said they handled personal tasks like booking plastic surgery appointments for an acquaintance of Park Na-rae's mother and disclosed corporate card usage records.
As it became known that they had taken on private tasks beyond normal manager duties, sympathy disappeared and criticism grew louder. Especially as instructions to find weaknesses of former agency JDB Entertainment were highlighted, Park Na-rae appears cornered, with renewed attention on her absence from close friend Kim Ji-min's wedding.
Meanwhile, Park Na-rae's manager is currently staying in the United States for health reasons, and it is reported that the planned police investigations for both the complainant and the accused related to the matter have all been completed.
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