Park Na-rae's managers dispute claims of resolution

Park Na-rae’s former managers disputed the comedian’s claim that they have cleared up misunderstandings, according to a report by Channel A on Tuesday. The former managers have accused Park of workplace abuse.

Entertainer Park Na-rae [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Park Na-rae’s former managers disputed the comedian’s claim that they have cleared up misunderstandings, according to a report by Channel A on Tuesday. The former managers have accused Park of workplace abuse.

The managers acknowledged that they spoke with Park for about three hours, but insisted that no apology was given and no agreement was reached.

“We told her, ‘We’ve been holding back for a month. We can’t do this anymore,’” one manager reportedly said. “Park responded, ‘Then let’s take it to court.’”

Regarding Park’s recent official statement, in which she said the misunderstandings had been resolved, the managers said they were stunned.

“Seeing her say that the misunderstandings had been cleared up left us speechless,” one said. “It felt like she met with us just so she could issue that statement. It seems like a strategy to buy time and shift public opinion.”

Park’s agency did not respond to media inquiries regarding the managers’ claims.

On Monday, Park issued a statement saying, “In early November, two managers who were like family suddenly quit. As we didn’t have a chance to talk until recently, misunderstandings built up. I was finally able to meet them yesterday, and we were able to clear up our differences and mistrust.”

The managers filed for a provisional seizure of Park’s real estate assets with the Seoul Western District Court on Dec. 3, citing accusations of assault, sexual harassment and verbal abuse.

They also filed a criminal complaint with the Gangnam Police Precinct on Friday, accusing Park of aggravated assault, defamation through the spread of false information and violations of the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection. A separate civil lawsuit seeking 100 million won ($68,000) in damages has also been announced.

Park’s camp has countered by accusing the former managers of blackmail.

“After receiving their severance pay, they demanded 10 percent of last year’s earnings. When we refused, they began making new allegations,” her agency said.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. BY JUNG SI-NAE [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]