Korean entertainer Park Na-rae, who recently announced a hiatus amidst various allegations, has broken her silence with a public statement. Despite her decision to let legal procedures take their course, public opinion remains divided.
On October 16, Park Na-rae addressed the public through the YouTube channel 'Baek Eun-young's Golden Time,' offering an apology and an official statement. This comes about a week after she declared a break from her broadcasting activities on October 8.
In the video, Park expressed, "I am deeply aware of the concern and fatigue I have caused many people," adding, "I have voluntarily stepped down from all programs I was involved in to avoid causing further confusion or burden to the production teams and my colleagues."
Regarding the allegations, she stated, "There are many aspects that need factual verification, and legal procedures are underway. I will not make any further public statements or explanations. This is not a matter of personal feelings but one that needs to be verified through objective procedures."
On October 4, Park Na-rae became embroiled in a legal dispute after former managers announced a lawsuit seeking damages of approximately 1 billion won. According to reports, the former managers filed for a provisional seizure of Park's real estate at the Seoul Western District Court on October 3, claiming damages during their tenure and preparing a lawsuit for compensation.
In response, Park's side stated, "The former managers demanded 10% of the company's previous year's revenue," and counter-sued for extortion. On October 8, both parties met face-to-face. Park later stated on social media, "Misunderstandings and distrust have been resolved. I will suspend my broadcasting activities until everything is settled," but the former manager, identified as A, countered, "While we talked for about three hours, there was no apology or agreement."
Currently, Park Na-rae faces allegations of receiving medical treatment from an unlicensed individual and taking antidepressants without a prescription. She clarified, "I believed the person had a medical license," and added, "There is no connection to propofol; I only received simple nutritional injections." The investigation into these matters is ongoing.
Public opinion is sharply divided. Some netizens believe, "This is a clear explanation," "Taking a break shows responsibility," and "This is now a matter for the parties involved to resolve." Others criticize, "It doesn't make sense to pursue legal action after claiming misunderstandings were resolved," "A sincere apology is missing," and "There is no explanation for the core allegations."
Although it has been about two weeks since the controversy surrounding Park Na-rae erupted, the noise has yet to subside. Industry insiders suggest that further revelations and rebuttals are likely, making it difficult for the situation to be resolved quickly.
Reporter Jung Se-yoon, TenAsia yoon@tenasia.co.kr