Amid continued revelations by a former manager surrounding comedian Park Na-rae, controversy over neglect of the pet dog "Bokdori" has erupted, widening the fallout.
Earlier, on the 12th, Park Na-rae's former manager, a person surnamed A, explained the conflict with Park Na-rae in a lengthy statement and mentioned the pet Bokdori, igniting the controversy. A said, "I was mostly responsible for Bokdori's care, hospital visits, and daily care," and "Before the shoot, Park Na-rae had never gone to see Bokdori first. Before the schedule started, I went down to Mokpo myself and cared for Bokdori at his grandmother's house where he was staying alone," he claimed.
After these revelations, past broadcast scenes resurfaced online. The problematic scene was episode 615 of the MBC variety show I Live Alone, which aired last September. At the time, Park Na-rae visited the grandparents' house to sort out the household after a grandfather's funeral, and watching this, Jun Hyun-moo asked, "Wasn't there a dog here?" After a brief silence, Park Na-rae briefly explained, "I took him to the hospital for a health check."
At the time of the broadcast there was no particular reaction, but after the former manager's revelations were made public the scene is being reexamined with criticism that "the before and after don't match." On the show Park Na-rae said she was visiting the place for the first time, but questions are being raised over the timing of Bokdori's hospital visit and who actually managed him.
Meanwhile, in November last year Park Na-rae revealed daily life spent with Bokdori on I Live Alone and showed affection. At the time she posted on social media, "I love you Bokdori. I'll give you everything in my life," expressing a special fondness for the pet. This has led to negative reactions questioning whether I Live Alone was just for show.
At the same time, Park Na-rae's absence from the weddings of close friends and former agency colleagues Kim Ji-min and Kim Jun-Ho was again put under scrutiny. On the 13th the former manager, a person surnamed A, released an additional statement mentioning "repeated claims that differ from the facts," "the truth of the dawn meeting," "the core of the agreement," "the four major insurance enrollment issue," and "career distortion."
In particular, A claimed that Park Na-rae tried to record a conversation to secure an advantageous position during contract renewal negotiations with her former agency JDB Entertainment, which amplified the controversy. A said, "Park Na-rae demanded a recording to catch JDB's Park OO's weakness and delivered that recording to Park Na-rae and her boyfriend," and "It is still in storage," he claimed.
As these claims spread, attention has returned to the fact that Park Na-rae did not attend Kim Ji-min's wedding photo shoot or the wedding held at the Grand Intercontinental Seoul Parnas in Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. At the time Park Na-rae was absent citing a home burglary and is reported to have explained her reason for absence to the concerned parties before sending a congratulatory gift. Park Na-rae's side had said at the time it was for "personal reasons."
The Park OO mentioned by the former manager is presumed to be the CEO of JDB Entertainment, and since JDB was founded by Kim Jun-Ho and Kim Dae-hee, various interpretations and speculations about this are continuing.
Meanwhile, Park Na-rae's current manager is staying in the United States for health reasons, and it is reported that the police investigations of complainant and accused related to the matter have all been completed. With Park Na-rae's and the former manager's claims sharply at odds, the controversy has expanded beyond pet care to issues of power abuse and trust across the entertainment industry.
[Photo] Park Na-rae SNS, OSEN DB
[OSEN]