Entertainer Park Na-rae faces backlash after releasing an interview to explain ongoing legal dispute
Published: 15 Jan. 2026, 22:59
![Entertainer Park Na-rae briefly addresses the controversy surrounding her in a video sent to Ilgan Sports on Dec. 16, 2025. [SCREEN CAPTURE]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/01/15/f541c211-589f-4b15-806d-23bc509a04ad.jpg)
Entertainer Park Na-rae briefly addresses the controversy surrounding her in a video sent to Ilgan Sports on Dec. 16, 2025. [SCREEN CAPTURE]
Entertainer Park Na-rae, who has been swept up in a controversy over allegedly committing workplace abuse against her former managers — including not paying their wages — has personally tried to explain the situation.
But her attempt has since backfired. Many office workers instead pushed back with questions, with one demanding, “How does it make sense that you have to ask every single time to be paid your salary?”
Shortly after Park's media interview was released on Wednesday, posts began appearing on various online communities under titles such as “Park Na-rae, who united all office workers.”
In the interview, Park denied the former managers' claims of not paying wages, explaining, “I was the only one operating the agency and directly paid their salaries myself.”
However, Park also said there were occasions when it was difficult to transfer the money.
“When I had an overnight shoot on payday or when [payday] overlapped with a group dinner [...] it was hard for me to send the money that day,” said Park. “In those cases, when the issue came up, we would settle things on a monthly basis, and I would make the transfer the very next day.”
According to past KakaoTalk messages released by entertainment news outlet Dispatch on Tuesday, a former manager asked, “Yesterday was payday. Will it be deposited today?” Park replied, “Yep!!”
![Entertainer Park Na-rae [SCREEN CAPTURE]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/01/15/48373839-2f35-451b-a791-583976068aa7.jpg)
Entertainer Park Na-rae [SCREEN CAPTURE]
Many online commenters have reacted by saying, “The very system in which you only get paid if you ask is the problem.” Others wrote, “Automatic transfers exist. Why do [employees] have to bring [payday] up every time?” and “If an employee's salary is even one day late, that's considered them being paid in arrears.”
From the perspective of office workers, the act of repeatedly asking for their pay is a major source of stress in and of itself. Comments included, “It makes no sense that you have to ask to receive the pay you rightfully earned,” and “[Park] doesn't seem to understand what ‘payday’ means.”
Park has filed a criminal complaint against her former managers, accusing them of attempted extortion and embezzlement on the grounds that they demanded money on the basis of false claims.
The former managers, for their part, have filed a complaint with the Labor Ministry, alleging that Park violated the Labor Standards Act. They have also filed a damages suit worth 100 million won ($68,000), claiming they suffered workplace bullying, aggravated injury, were forced to buy proxy prescriptions issued in their names and were not refunded for business and event expenses during their time working for her.
Meanwhile, the Munhwa Ilbo published on Thursday the text of a draft settlement agreement that Park and her former managers had drawn up.
![Entertainer Park Na-rae [NEWS1]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/01/15/39e4d677-c15f-4c54-b202-ab9180280fc2.jpg)
Entertainer Park Na-rae [NEWS1]
According to the Munhwa Ilbo, Park’s side proposed it would make an additional payment to the former managers even though it had no legal obligation to do so. The payment was described as a gesture of goodwill, in consideration of Park’s relationship with the departing employees.
In return, the former employees would agree not to make any further claims of any kind about the legal nature of that money in any situation — whether in court or outside of court or in public or private.
The draft drawn up by the former managers, in contrast, stated that their unpaid wages and unpaid performance bonuses remain outstanding, and that a contract on the payment of performance bonuses had been formed between Park and one of the former managers.
Under that draft, Park would acknowledge, without objection, that all unpaid wages, unpaid performance bonuses, unsettled amounts and any sums calculated under the relevant laws and contracts between the parties as money owed to the two former managers.
The former managers also disputed Park’s allegations that they committed embezzlement and attempted extortion, and demanded “confirmation and complete retraction of the false allegations.” Another clause stipulated that “Park Na-rae shall clearly state that all such allegations are untrue and bear the obligation to officially make this public externally.”
![Entertainer Park Na-rae [NEWS1]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/01/15/4e72d766-3211-4b3f-9e36-fbae5b2af65b.jpg)
Entertainer Park Na-rae [NEWS1]
Both drafts included penalty clauses. Park’s side proposed that if even one of the departing employees violates any obligation under this agreement, that person shall pay the agency and the entertainer 1 billion won each as a contractual penalty.
The former managers' draft, on the other hand, stated that “if any of the parties violates this clause, the mere fact of such violation shall be deemed acknowledgment of fault, and the breaching party shall pay 30 million won in liquidated damages to the other party for each violation.”
Regarding penalties and damages for breach of the agreement, it also stated that “a party who violates the contents of this agreement shall pay 100 million won to the other party for each violation.”
In the end, the settlement was never concluded, as the two sides failed to bridge their differences over these terms.
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 SHIN HYE-YEON [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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