Children’s creator Hey Jini and her company KidsWorks have issued a second statement rejecting a former employee’s labor-exploitation allegations, saying wages were paid normally and warning that spreading false claims could lead to legal action.
The statement was released through official channels on November 3 and reported by Newsis on November 4. It said false information was being amplified and reproduced, seriously damaging the reputations of the company and the people involved.
On pay, KidsWorks said a signed contract and payment records exist. It said the salary rose 25 percent from hiring, increasing twice in just over a year: from 20 million won in 2017 to 21 million won in January 2018, then 25 million won that November. Meal allowances and bonuses were paid separately, and differences in withholding receipts reflected leave periods, the company said.
The company denied forcing work, saying it allowed flexible arrangements and, after learning of the employee’s health problems, repeatedly urged the employee to stop work, take vacation, or take leave. It denied interfering with a workers’ compensation application, saying it respected the application and completed the employer forms faithfully under the review procedure, while holding a different view from the employee’s later claims.
Hey Jini shared the statement on social media the same day, writing that meeting someone she once worked with in this way after eight years was regrettable and heartbreaking. She said she hoped the person would recover and return to a peaceful daily life, and thanked supporters, saying she was sorry to have caused worry.
The dispute became public in late October, when former employee A alleged long hours without separate overtime pay, said the workload led to panic disorder and depression, and claimed the company proposed paying 4 million won instead of filing a workers’ compensation claim. KidsWorks first responded on October 27, denying interference and saying it had introduced an outside certified labor attorney. A current employee also posted on November 3 in support, saying their experience differed.
KidsWorks said it is reorganizing its management system with advice from a certified labor attorney and now uses genuine software licenses. If further harm results from false claims or attacks on unrelated individuals, it may take civil and criminal legal action, it said. The competing accounts remain disputed, and no independent ruling was cited in the latest statement.
