Comedian Park Na-rae and her former managers have crossed a point of no return in their conflict. With Park Na-rae suffering a critical blow to her image and the managers risking their reputations within the industry, only the cold judgment of the law now remains.
The so-called "Park Na-rae serial controversy" that began with allegations of abusive behavior by Park Na-rae on the 3rd of last month has continued for more than a month. Park Na-rae is known to have appeared at Yongsan Police Station on the 14th and undergone a high-intensity second interrogation lasting about six hours until the early hours of the next day, and former manager A was subject to a first interview as a suspect at Seoul Yongsan Police Station on the 22nd of last month before leaving for the United States.
The former managers sharply targeted Park Na-rae's morality and transparency. Allegations of tax evasion and embezzlement are seen as an attempt to damage Park Na-rae's morality beyond a mere tax issue; they raised suspicions that her mother and acquaintances received salaries without performing actual work, and emphasized that Park Na-rae's handling of funds was opaque. They also alleged workplace harassment by claiming that she engaged in sexual behavior with a former boyfriend inside a vehicle while traveling, arguing that the work environment was poor. In settlement matters, they intensified their revelations by framing that the treatment of on-site staff was unfair compared with the large revenue Park Na-rae earned.
Park Na-rae's side is defending against the former managers' revelations and attacks with practical evidence and appeals to emotion. Regarding tax allegations, they emphasized that the mother and acquaintances actually performed work such as promotional activities and content production support, asserting legal justification. They also stressed that the former boyfriend, who majored in business administration, handled accounting and contract work and that they paid fair compensation for legitimate labor.
On workplace harassment, they have not taken a clear position regarding inappropriate acts inside a vehicle, but argued that special injury refers to on-the-job reprimands when props were not prepared, showing a starkly different stance from the former managers' claims. At the same time, by including a clause requiring payment of 1 billion won if a settlement agreement is violated, they sought to show confidence that the other party's claims are that false.
Park Na-rae says all messages exchanged with the former manager are evidence, asserting her innocence in the settlement process and alleging signs of embezzlement by the manager. On the other hand, the managers are countering by claiming Park Na-rae's abusive behavior with medical injury certificates and recorded statements as weapons. The chicken game between Park Na-rae, who stakes her "career," and the former managers, who stake their "industry reputations," now leaves only the cold judgment of the law.
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