Park Narae Explains "Difficult to Transfer Salaries Immediately at One-Person Agency"... Office Workers Ask, "Don't You Know About Automatic Transfers?"

Wage Arrears Allegations Surface Amid Conflict With Former Managers
Legal Battle Intensifies With Countersuits and Rebuttals
Office Workers Outraged Over Delayed Salary Payments to Managers

Broadcaster Park Narae has issued a statement addressing allegations of unpaid wages that surfaced during her conflict with former managers. However, her remarks have instead triggered backlash among office workers, further fueling the controversy. While Park Narae, who is currently embroiled in a legal dispute with her former managers, attempted to clarify the wage-related allegations, criticism from office workers continues to intensify.

Broadcaster Narae Park. Photo by The Asia Business Daily

On January 14, Park Narae shared her position on various allegations-including workplace harassment, delayed wage payments, and late reimbursement of personal expenses-during an interview with Ilgan Sports. The most controversial part of her explanation was her claim that she personally paid her managers' salaries. Park Narae stated, "Since I run a one-person agency, I paid the salaries myself," adding, "If there was an overnight shoot or a group dinner with the managers around payday, there were times when it was difficult to transfer the salary immediately." She continued, "However, whenever the topic of salary came up, I would calculate the monthly amount and make the transfer the following day."

Meanwhile, a previously released KakaoTalk conversation between Park Narae and her former manager, published by Dispatch, is once again drawing attention. In the chat, the manager asked, "Sunbae, yesterday was payday for us. Will the payment come in today?" Park Narae responded about 19 minutes later, saying, "Yes!!" Once this exchange became public, criticism erupted among office workers online. Comments included, "The fact that you have to ask for your salary is a problem in itself," "Even a one-day delay in salary makes it hard to get by," "I don't understand why automatic transfer wasn't set up," "A salary delayed even by a single day is wage arrears," "Just having to bring up the topic of salary is extremely stressful," and "Even with part-time jobs, people are dissatisfied if they don't get paid on time."

The reason office workers are so outraged by Park Narae's remarks is that many employees in South Korea still experience delayed wage payments. In one survey, about 43.7% of 1,000 office workers said they had experienced delayed wage payments. The issue of not receiving wages on the designated date has become a routine hardship for a significant number of employees.

Government statistics also highlight the seriousness of the wage arrears problem. The total amount of unpaid wages in South Korea has reached several trillion won and continues to rise. As of last year, the total amount of unpaid wages exceeded 2 trillion won, affecting hundreds of thousands of workers. As of July this year, the total amount of wage arrears stood at 1.3421 trillion won, with approximately 170,000 affected employees. Analysts attribute this to a combination of factors, including economic downturns and structural problems concentrated in small businesses.

These statistics suggest that the issue of wage arrears and delayed payments is not just an isolated celebrity controversy, but an unresolved structural problem across the entire Korean labor market. Given that wages are directly tied to workers' livelihoods, there is a growing call for improved social awareness and institutional reforms regarding the timing and method of wage payments.

Meanwhile, Park Narae remains in a legal dispute with two former managers. The former managers claim that, during their employment, they suffered workplace abuse, special assault, proxy prescriptions, and unpaid business expenses at the hands of Park Narae. They have filed for a provisional seizure of real estate worth 100 million won at the Seoul Western District Court. Additionally, they have filed criminal charges against Park Narae with the Seoul Gangnam Police Station for special assault, defamation by stating false information, and violations of the Information and Communications Network Act. In response, Park Narae has countered that the former managers are demanding money based on false claims, and in December last year, she filed a counter-complaint with the Seoul Yongsan Police Station for attempted extortion and occupational embezzlement. On January 14, Park Narae reportedly appeared before the police and was questioned as a complainant for about six hours.