"Is Imprisonment Possible or Not?"... Attorney Analyzes Charges Against Park Narae

Attorney Jang Hyuno Analyzes "Prison Sentence Risk Score"

A current attorney has assessed the likelihood of a prison sentence for broadcaster Park Narae, who is facing allegations of receiving illegal medical procedures from the so-called "Injection Aunt."

Broadcaster Park Narae. Ann Park

Jang Hyeonoh, managing attorney at SK Law Office, posted a video titled "[Park Narae Full Summary] The Reason Park Narae Is Not Apologizing" on his YouTube channel on January 14, analyzing the situation from a legal perspective. Attorney Jang viewed the core of this incident not as a dispute over settlement payments but as an "emotional conflict." He stated, "The biggest mistake Park Narae made was not reaching a settlement at the beginning of the case. Her managers are aware of many circumstances involving Park Narae's serious crimes. She should have attempted to reconcile with the managers in any way possible."

In particular, regarding the most controversial issue of illegal medical practices, commonly referred to as the "Injection Aunt" controversy, he said, "From this point, it seems the former managers exposed the issue out of emotional conflict. A manager's role is to manage, control, and carry out the individual's schedule. If things go wrong, managers can also become entangled. The fact that they risked being punished themselves to expose this shows that pride and emotional conflict escalated to the end." He added, "This could be sufficiently punishable as aiding and abetting or as co-perpetrators."

Attorney Jang converted the charges Park faces into a "prison sentence risk score (out of 100 points)" for analysis. His classification criteria were: ▲Moral wrongdoing (0-20 points) ▲Administrative fines/penalties (20-40 points) ▲Fines/suspended sentence (40-80 points) ▲Possibility of imprisonment (over 80 points).

Regarding Park's alleged wage arrears, Attorney Jang stated, "If wages are continuously not paid and a labor inspector intervenes, it can lead to criminal punishment," assigning a score of 50 points. On the embezzlement allegations, he said, "It depends on the amount involved, but it's about 70 points. While imprisonment is rare, it is clearly a crime." Regarding the "Injection Aunt" controversy, he said, "For first-time offenders, suspended sentences are often given, so imprisonment is possible but not certain," rating it at 80 points. He further added, "Whether to add or subtract a point from 80 depends on how she responds." On the charge of aggravated assault, he commented, "Whether a settlement is reached is key. If there is no settlement, the risk increases," and rated it at 75 points.

However, regarding the controversial "specific act inside a vehicle," he said, "Some behaviors known as sexual harassment do not constitute a crime and are at the level of an administrative fine, about 30 points. I do not know exactly what this act refers to, but if specific acts such as public indecency are confirmed, the level of punishment could change. Generally, however, it remains at the level of an administrative fine."

Attorney Jang stated, "Because this involves concurrent offenses, there is a possibility of imprisonment. If things continue as they are, there is a chance of a prison sentence. I would like to offer some advice: the path to reconciliation or settlement is growing distant, and conflicts are intensifying. This is leading to further revelations. Considering the risk of imprisonment, this is not a good direction at all. For the sake of her future, I hope she will settle what can be settled and consult closely with her attorney to avoid the worst possible outcome," emphasizing the need for damage control.

Meanwhile, Park's former managers claimed that during their employment, they suffered "abuse of power," including workplace harassment, aggravated assault, proxy prescriptions, and unpaid operating expenses. They filed criminal complaints against Park for aggravated assault, defamation by spreading false information, violation of the Information and Communications Network Act, and violation of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes (embezzlement). In response, Park filed a complaint with the Yongsan Police Station in Seoul on December 5 against her former managers for attempted extortion, and on the 20th, she filed an additional complaint for work-related embezzlement.