As the abuse-of-power allegations surrounding TV personality Park Na-rae and a former manager escalated into a dispute over the facts, the former manager, identified as A, reiterated a position. A refuted suspicions raised on a YouTube channel about a 500 million won settlement, saying they were "not true."
According to E-Daily on the 12th, A explained the release on the YouTube channel "Entertainment President Lee Jin-ho" of a transcript of a conversation between A and Park Na-rae.
A first addressed an early-morning phone call with Park Na-rae on Dec. 8 last year, saying, "Since resigning, I have never called Park Na-rae first," and added, "Of the contacts Park Na-rae made with me, the two calls in the early hours as the date turned from Dec. 7 to 8, 2025, now being discussed, were both initiated by Park Na-rae. The call times were 1:42 a.m. and 2:31 a.m. on Dec. 8, respectively."
A also said the early-morning meeting was attended by A, Park Na-rae, Park Na-rae's designer, and Park Na-rae's boyfriend. A explained, "All the phone call recordings reported by the media now correspond to the prior calls made before this early-morning meeting."
A argued that during the meeting, which lasted about three hours that morning, there was no discussion at all of a settlement agreement, settlement amount, or any legal settlement related to a complaint or lawsuit.
A also claimed that the claim from Park Na-rae's side that "a settlement amount of 500 million won was proposed that morning" was not true.
A said the remarks about money at the time were "only Park Na-rae venting dissatisfaction with her lawyer," and added, "There was absolutely no settlement amount I proposed or discussed, and no mention of 500 million won."
A also addressed the suspicion that A deliberately tried not to enroll in the four major social insurances, saying, "It is being reported inaccurately," and emphasized, "I have continuously been the head of an entertainment corporation since 2015, but I received the four major insurances normally at my previous agency JDB, and while working with Park Na-rae, our Head of Team manager and everyone continuously demanded enrollment in the four major insurances."
A also said that, regarding the claim that A said in a KakaoTalk message that "3 million won a month is enough," it was unrelated to salary.
Meanwhile, starting on Dec. 3 last year, "abuse-of-power allegations" surfaced around Park Na-rae, and illegal medical procedure suspicions were raised amid the "injection aunt" controversy. Park Na-rae then stepped down from MBC's "I Live Alone" and "Help Me! Homes," and tvN's "Amazing Saturday" on Dec. 8.
As controversy continued even after stepping down, Park Na-rae said in a video on Dec. 16, "There are parts where we need to calmly verify the facts about the matters currently raised, and we are in the process of legal procedures," and added, "I will refrain from making additional public remarks or explanations during that process," after which Park Na-rae remained silent.