Ex-manager of comedian Park Na-rae arrested over alleged attempted extortion
Park Na-rae / Korea Times file
The former manager of Korean comedian and television personality Park Na-rae has been arrested on charges including attempted extortion, marking the latest development in an ongoing legal dispute between the entertainer and her former staff.
A representative for Park told the Hankook Ilbo Monday that the former manager, identified only by the surname A, was taken into custody on July 16 and is currently being held at a detention center.
"We were informed that the former manager was arrested on July 16," the representative said. "Separately from this matter, Park Na-rae will continue to cooperate fully with the investigation."
Earlier Monday, MBC reported that Seoul's Yongsan Police Station had arrested A on charges including attempted extortion.
According to the report, A is accused of demanding an amount equivalent to 10 percent of the company's revenue while claiming that Park had improperly used company funds for personal expenses involving her former boyfriend. A is also accused of embezzling about 30 million won ($21,600) in company funds. Police plan to refer A and another former manager to prosecutors.
The legal dispute between Park and her former managers has continued since December last year.
The former managers filed criminal complaints accusing Park of workplace bullying, aggravated assault, proxy prescription practices and failing to pay production-related expenses. Park subsequently suspended all broadcasting activities. In response, she filed countercomplaints accusing the former managers of attempted extortion and occupational embezzlement, and has since undergone two rounds of police questioning.
Separately, Park and her mother were recently referred to prosecutors on allegations of operating a one-person entertainment agency without the required registration. Authorities allege that after Park's contract with her former agency ended in 2024, she established a management company headed by her mother but operated it without registering it as a public culture and arts management business.
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.