Seoul Phil raided

By Jung Min-ho

Police raided the office of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO) and its computer network management center in central Seoul, Wednesday, over defamatory remarks made by its employees against their former boss.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said investigators secured computer hard disks, USBs and mobile phones of SPO employees.

In December, Park Hyun-jung had to resign as SPO’s CEO over allegations that she habitually harassed SPO employees sexually and verbally after taking office in February, 2013.

At that time, seventeen employees of the SPO’s administration department issued a press release, requesting Park’s resignation and an internal audit, with attachments that detailed Park’s alleged remarks.

According to the press release, Park told her subordinates to “sell their organs to make up for losses.”

But she denied the allegations and later filed a complaint with police, claiming that they tarnished her reputation for nothing.

Police are looking into who wrote the press release and whether 17 people were actually involved in the action.

“We are trying to find the truth behind the fight as the two parties’ claims conflict,” police said.

The SPO said in a statement that it will cooperate with the investigation.

When she left the SPO, Park also accused music director Chung Myung-whun of encouraging them to accuse her.