Hey Jini maintains subscriber count despite labor allegations

Kids' content creator Hey Jini has maintained 4.13 million subscribers despite allegations from former employees regarding long working hours and industrial accidents. While the channel's scale remains steady, creator Park Wi saw over 70,000 subscribers lost following a recent controversy.

Kids' content creator Hey Jini has found herself at the center of controversy following successive allegations from former employees, yet her YouTube subscriber count has shown no significant change. While criticism has spread regarding claims of long working hours and the handling of industrial accidents, the channel's scale remains steady at 4.13 million subscribers. This trend has drawn attention as it contrasts with creator Park Wi, whose subscribers decreased by more than 70,000 following a recent controversy.

The controversy began on the 21st when a former employee, identified as A, a long-time friend of Hey Jini and a former staff member at the kids' content production company Kidsworks, posted an exposé online. A claimed that during their employment, they earned an annual salary of 20 million won while working up to 16 hours a day without receiving overtime pay. A described suffering from panic disorder due to excessive workloads, including working on weekends and holidays. A further claimed that although the Korea Workers' Compensation & Welfare Service recognized the situation as an industrial accident in January 2020, the company—which had initially promised to help—later submitted an opinion denying the connection between the work and the illness.

The allegations continued when another former employee, B, appeared on the 27th, claiming that although the working environment was said to have changed after the initial incident, "in reality, nothing has actually changed." The issue has expanded from an individual's personal experience to broader questions regarding the company's organizational culture and overall labor environment.

Kidsworks issued a rebuttal in an official statement on the same day. While expressing that they were "sincerely sorry and apologetic" that a former employee lost their health and went through a difficult time, the company emphasized that there were inaccuracies in A's claims. According to the company, A worked for approximately one year and three months starting in September 2017 before taking a leave of absence, and eventually resigned voluntarily in May 2019. The company claims they increased A's salary by 25% during their tenure and provided bonuses and support for rental deposits for housing near the company during the leave of absence. Regarding the allegation of obstructing the industrial accident application, the company countered that they helped by introducing an external certified labor attorney to allow for direct consultation.

Immediately after the company's statement was released, A posted a rebuttal. A countered that the starting salary was 20 million won and was only increased once to 21 million won during employment, meaning the increase was 5% rather than the 25% claimed by the company, and demanded that the company release supporting evidence. While acknowledging the leave of absence and the rental deposit support, A emphasized, "the fact that such support existed is a separate issue from the difficulties I experienced in the work environment at that time." As the claims of both sides clash, Kidsworks has not released any further statements.

The controversy has also spread to Hey Jini's personal channel and social media. Videos and posts that previously received mostly support and praise have seen a influx of critical comments, and some have pointed out that the comment section for the company's official statement is closed, suggesting an attempt to block communication. However, the shift in online sentiment and the actual scale of subscriber loss must be viewed separately.

As of 10:00 AM on the 30th, the Hey Jini channel had 4.13 million subscribers, maintaining its existing scale. Her second channel, 'Hyejin's', also stands at approximately 979,000 subscribers. Despite the ongoing cycle of allegations from former employees, company rebuttals, and counter-arguments, no rapid exodus of subscribers has been confirmed based on numbers alone.

This trend is being compared to the channel 'WERACLE' owned by Park Wi, which experienced a decrease in subscribers following a recent controversy. On August 21, Park Wi released a video showing an accident where a wheelchair was caught by the feet of a social service agent while disembarking from a KTX, which faced criticism for being an excessive response. Although the video was deleted and an apology was issued, the subscriber count dropped from 1.01 million to below 1 million in just three days. As of 10:00 AM on the 30th, the subscriber count stands at 934,000, a decrease of more than 70,000 since the controversy. However, because the nature of the two incidents and the paths through which the controversies spread are different, it is difficult to make a simple comparison of public assessment based solely on subscriber changes.

Hey Jini became well-known to the public as 'Carry Unnie' before opening her independent channel 'Hey Jini,' which surpassed 1 million subscribers within about a year, establishing her as a leading kids' creator. She has directly operated a kids' content production company since 2017, and her husband serves as a director at Kidsworks. While the influence of the channel built over a long period is being maintained amidst this controversy, the fact that subscriber numbers have not changed does not necessarily signify the public's judgment regarding the raised labor environment issues. Ultimately, the core of this situation depends on whether the claims of the former employees and the company's explanations can be verified through specific factual details rather than numbers.

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