Park Na Rae scandal grows as YouTuber Lee Jin Ho claims Itaewon burglary triggered manager fallout

As the so-called “workplace abuse” controversy surrounding comedian Park Na Rae drags on, YouTube channel Entertainment President Lee Jin Ho has shed light on the hidden context behind the burglary at her 5.5 billion KRW (3.7 million USD) Itaewon home, claiming the incident became the decisive trigger for managers to come forward with allegations.

In a video released on December 15, titled “Shocking Exclusive! ‘They Were Like Family Managers’—The Truth Behind Park Na Rae’s KRW 5.5 Billion Home Burglary,” Lee Jin Ho reconstructed the sequence of events by compiling statements from Park Na Rae’s side as well as her former and current managers.

The video first revisits the issue widely seen as the starting point of the controversy: the alleged failure to enroll managers in South Korea’s four major social insurance programs. After her nine-year exclusive contract with JDB Entertainment ended, Park Na Rae moved to a one-person agency, M Park, where her mother was registered as CEO. During this transition, she retained manager S, who had worked with her at JDB, and hired an additional on-site manager.

According to the managers’ claims, both were paid as freelancers—subject to a 3.3% withholding tax—without written employment contracts until September of this year. In contrast, Park Na Rae’s mother and her then-boyfriend (now her ex-boyfriend) were registered as company executives or employees and enrolled in social insurance. Lee Jin Ho added that the ex-boyfriend was reportedly paid around 4 million KRW (2,724 USD) per month. While noting that the company may legally fall under the category of a business with fewer than five employees—making immediate punishment ambiguous—Lee emphasized that the more serious issue was the alleged failure to honor promises of full-time employment and social insurance coverage.

Lee identified the turning point of the dispute as the burglary that occurred at Park Na Rae’s Itaewon residence in April. High-value items, including jewelry worth tens of millions of KRW, were stolen, forcing Park Na Rae to miss a scheduled live radio broadcast. The situation escalated further when media reports raised suspicions of an “inside job.”

According to Lee, only three people regularly accessed the home at the time: two managers and one stylist—all of whom reportedly lacked formal employment contracts and social insurance coverage. He explained that if any of them had been identified as the suspect, the mere fact that individuals without proper employment status had unrestricted access to her home could have dealt a severe blow to Park Na Rae.

Amid the investigation, the managers claim that Park Na Rae’s then-boyfriend, identified as A, collected handwritten personal information—including names, resident registration numbers, and addresses—from the two managers and the stylist, stating it was needed to prepare employment contracts. They allege that this information was later submitted to police as reference material for potential suspects.

Manager S reportedly learned of this after contacting the lead investigator and being told that they were also under suspicion, making it difficult to change the reporting party. Lee said the individuals involved felt deeply betrayed upon realizing that personal data they believed was being collected for employment paperwork had instead been used in a manner that implicated them.

The investigation ultimately concluded with the arrest of a third-party outsider who had no connection to Park Na Rae. However, Lee argued that the damage was already done. Despite internal awareness of unresolved employment contract and insurance issues, corrective action was only taken in September—months later—leaving managers feeling irreparably disillusioned and prompting them to speak out.