"Park Na-rae could face prison if things continue like this"...Why a practicing attorney believes a custodial sentence is possible
- Input
- 2026-01-19 14:30:00
- Updated
- 2026-01-19 14:30:00

[The Financial News] As various allegations spread, including unpaid wages to her manager, power abuse, and suspected drug use, comedian Park Na-rae has halted her activities, and a legal expert has now suggested that she could receive a prison sentence.
Attorney Jang Hyun-oh, head lawyer at SK Law Office, posted a video on his YouTube channel on the 14th titled "All About Park Na-rae: Why Park Na-rae Is Not Apologizing."
In the video, Attorney Jang listed the allegations raised against Park Na-rae and then assigned scores to them according to the likelihood of a custodial sentence. His scale was: moral wrongdoing (0–20 points), administrative fines or surcharges (20–40 points), criminal fines or suspended sentence (40–80 points), and likelihood of an actual prison term (over 80 points).
Regarding the alleged unpaid wages, he said, "If wages continue not to be paid and a labor inspector steps in, it can lead to criminal punishment," assigning it 50 points.
He then gave around 70–75 points for the alleged embezzlement and the charge of aggravated bodily injury. "The score for embezzlement varies depending on the amount involved, but it is around 70 points," he said, adding, "People are not often sent to prison for it. For aggravated bodily injury, whether there is a settlement with the victim is crucial, and if no settlement is reached, the risk increases significantly."
He gave the lowest score to the allegation of sexual activity in a car that has stirred controversy.
Attorney Jang stated, "Sexual harassment itself is not a criminal offense; it falls under workplace bullying," and added, "I see it as being at the level of an administrative fine, so I would give it about 30 points."

The allegation that received the highest score was the suspected violation of the Narcotics Control Act involving so-called "Nurse Auntie," as the controversy has been dubbed.
Attorney Jang explained, "For a first-time offender, courts often hand down suspended sentences, so there is a chance she could go to prison, but also a chance she might not," adding, "Whether you add or subtract a single point from 80 depends on how she responds going forward."
Excluding the Nurse Auntie controversy, the other issues, viewed as individual charges, were all found to carry relatively low likelihoods of resulting in a prison term. However, he noted that because Park Na-rae is facing multiple charges in combination, there is still a possibility she could end up in prison.
Attorney Jang said, "The court looks at all the charges together. Because they are handled as concurrent offenses, there is a possibility she could be sent to prison," warning, "If things proceed exactly as they are now, there is a real chance of imprisonment."
He went on to say, "There is one piece of advice I would like to offer. The path to reconciliation or settlement is growing more distant, and the conflict is intensifying. That is why additional exposés keep coming out," and argued, "This situation needs to be brought under control."
y27k@fnnews.com Seo Yoon-kyung Reporter