[Sportschosun reporter Jung Bit] A former manager accused of demanding a large sum of money from broadcaster Park Na-rae by using false claims as leverage has been sent to prosecutors while in custody, marking a new turning point in the legal battle between the two sides, which had escalated into counter-lawsuits.
According to police, the Yongsan Police Station in Seoul sent Shin, a former manager of Park Na-rae who is accused of attempted extortion and embezzlement in the course of business, to prosecutors on the 21st while he was in custody. Another former manager, identified as A, who is also accused of attempted extortion, was referred to prosecutors without detention.
Shin and others are accused of claiming that Park Na-rae had used company funds for personal purposes, including spending them on a former boyfriend, and demanding an amount equal to 10% of the company’s 2024 sales in exchange for not revealing the allegations. Shin is also accused of separately embezzling about 30 million won in company funds.
Earlier, Anpark, Park Na-rae’s agency, said it had filed a counter-complaint after confirming signs that company funds had been diverted to a personal corporation while the former managers were demanding a large sum of money using false claims.
The case surfaced after the former managers filed complaints against Park Na-rae, raising so-called abuse-of-power allegations, including workplace harassment, aggravated assault, proxy prescriptions and nonpayment of appearance fees. In December last year, they also applied for a provisional seizure of real estate worth about 100 million won and filed complaints against Park Na-rae on charges including defamation by making false statements and violations of the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection.
In response, Park Na-rae’s side filed a counter-complaint against the former managers on charges of extortion and embezzlement in the course of business, and both sides are reported to have completed questioning as complainants.
Since the controversy began, Park Na-rae has completely halted her broadcast activities. She stepped down from Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC)’s "I Live Alone" and tvN’s "Amazing Saturday," while the pre-produced Disney+ variety show "Battle of Fates" was released without editing.
Jung Bit, rightlight@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
