Comedian Park Na-rae and her former managers have seen their dispute escalate into a battle over the truth, and a practicing lawyer analyzed the case from a legal perspective and urged a cautious response.
On the 16th, the program "Lawyer Lee Won-hwa's Case X-file" featured attorney Kang Eun-ha, who examined the dispute between Park Na-rae and her former managers that has been spreading recently. Attorney Kang said, "This matter goes beyond a simple entertainment industry dispute and is multilayered, entangled with the tax law·Labor Standards Act·Medical Service Act."
Regarding a past tax audit, Attorney Kang first pointed out, "The key issue is whether wages were actually paid to family members or acquaintances who did not actually work." He said, "For labor costs to be recognized under tax law, substantive labor provision and reasonable compensation must be proven," and "If someone was listed as an employee or executive only in form and wages were paid, it could lead to falsely recorded labor costs and tax evasion." He added, "Family wage issues are a matter that the National Tax Service regards strictly as a representative type of tax evasion."
He also addressed the legal standards for the controversy over the former managers' claim of "witnessing a specific act in a vehicle." Attorney Kang said, "Workplace harassment is not limited to the physical space called an office," and "There are precedents recognizing business trips, company dinners, and vehicles in transit as workplaces if they are substantially related to work." He continued, "If it was not a mere witnessing but occurred repeatedly and forcibly in a situation where the superior's position made it impossible to escape, there is room to judge it as harassment." Earlier, Park Na-rae had released wedding photos saying, "I fell in love… with me."
Above all, Attorney Kang cited "public opinion warfare" as the most dangerous element at this stage. He said, "Releasing emotionally charged recordings or making statements on social media may seem advantageous in public opinion, but in court or at the labor office they can act as unfavorable circumstantial evidence," and emphasized, "Whether it is Park Na-rae's side or the former managers' side, they should refrain as much as possible from emotional reactions and releasing materials, and respond based on objective evidence."
Meanwhile, Park Na-rae has suspended activities after allegations ranging from managerial bullying to illegal medical procedures surfaced. The former managers have claimed special injury, proxy prescriptions, illegal medical practices, unpaid production costs and have announced applications for provisional seizure of real estate and lawsuits seeking damages. In response, Park Na-rae has denied the allegations in full and countersued the former managers on charges of attempted extortion and embezzlement.
There are also signs that Park Na-rae received controlled psychotropic drugs from a nonmedical person, and a complaint for violation of the Medical Service Act has been filed. The former managers also filed a workplace harassment complaint with the Seoul Regional Office of Employment and Labor, alleging, "There was harassment that used a superior position in the closed space of a vehicle."
As the conflict drags on, legal judgment has now moved into the hands of investigative agencies and the courts. Amid the noise of public opinion, attention is focused on what facts will be proven and whose claims will gain legal persuasive power.
[Photo] Park Na-rae SNS
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