Kids' creator Hey Jini faces labor exploitation allegations from former employee

A former employee of kids' creator Hey Jini has claimed to have suffered from panic disorder due to 16-hour workdays and unpaid overtime. The individual, who was recognized for an industrial accident in 2020, alleged that the company's actual working conditions differed significantly from the horizontal culture portrayed on the variety program 'Boss in the Mirror'.

Hey Jini, the beloved "President of Children," is facing allegations of labor exploitation, bringing her previously televised depiction of CEO life back into the spotlight. While she was introduced as a young boss aiming for a horizontal organizational culture, the perspective on the company scenes shown on broadcast is shifting as a former employee claims to have suffered from long working hours and deteriorating health. In particular, attention is being drawn to scenes where Hey Jini expressed the pressure of having to take responsibility for her employees.

A former employee, referred to as A, who claimed to have worked with Hey Jini, stated through an online community that they were diagnosed with panic disorder after suffering from long working hours and were subsequently recognized for an industrial accident. As A's revelations spread, interest is focusing on the management style of Hey Jini, who has directly led a kids' content production company. However, the current allegations are based on the claims of a former employee, and the specific facts and the company's position need to be verified separately.

Hey Jini, a kids' creator with 4.13 million subscribers, has been operating her own content production company as a CEO since 2017. In March 2020, she appeared as the youngest boss on the KBS 2TV variety program 'Boss in the Mirror,' revealing the interior of her company. At the time, Hey Jini did not confirm or deny rumors of 2 billion won in revenue, but instead introduced that she had 12 employees with an average age of 30. She also highlighted a culture where employees call each other by nicknames, emphasizing an atmosphere different from traditional vertical companies.

The company life revealed on the program caught viewers' attention with its unique and pleasant appearance. It captured scenes such as "early morning movie company dinners," where employees gathered from the morning to watch animated films, and work being conducted in a free atmosphere. However, employees confessed that Hey Jini often suddenly proposed new tasks. As it was shown that employees followed her opinion when she said she wanted to eat spicy food during meetings, some reacted with laughter, questioning whether decision-making was actually driven by the CEO's tastes despite claiming a horizontal culture.

The contract she had other cast members sign while lending them the studio also drew attention. Hey Jini presented conditions for using the studio to Hyun Joo-yup, Jung Ho-young, and Park Kwang-jae, including terms stating that one could not disobey her within the company and that she would demand cute makeup and costumes from Hyun Joo-yup. Upon seeing this, Park Kwang-jae reacted by asking, "Is this a slave contract?", which caused laughter in the studio. While it was accepted at the time as a unique setting for variety entertainment, the past broadcast scenes are being mentioned again now that allegations surrounding the working environment have surfaced.

The sight of employees staying at the company after work to play games with Hey Jini is also being re-examined. Lucky Kang-i, Hey Jini's older brother, explained this as a company culture created by Hey Jini. He shared an anecdote where Hey Jini suddenly asked to buy a headset, which he thought was necessary for editing work, only to find out it was for gaming. Following the first broadcast, when asked if she considered herself a horizontal boss, Hey Jini replied, "I was not horizontal. It was because of the editing," claiming the influence of broadcast editing.

Hey Jini was not portrayed solely as a lighthearted and playful boss on the show. She also spoke candidly about the burden of having to take responsibility for her employees as a CEO. "Since I have employees, one or two months are fine, but then the pressure comes of how I can take responsibility for these people. I can't put it into words," Hey Jini said. It was a statement revealing the realistic concerns of a manager responsible for the livelihoods of employees. However, as a manager's sense of responsibility and the actual working environment experienced by employees are separate issues, it is difficult to judge the truth of the current allegations based solely on past remarks.

A's claims also included specific working conditions. A claimed that, at Hey Jini's suggestion, they were solely in charge of the production and operation of a Chinese language channel from December 2016, which involved repeated long night shifts and weekend work. A claimed that daily working hours reached up to 16 hours and they handled various miscellaneous tasks, but the annual salary was at the level of 20 million won and no overtime pay was received. In this process, health deteriorated leading to a diagnosis of panic disorder, and A stated that they later applied for an industrial accident and had an occupational disease recognized in 2020.

A claimed that while the company initially showed an attitude of helping with the industrial accident application, they later submitted an opinion denying the connection between the work and the illness and even doubted the illness itself. In particular, A confessed to feeling great anger upon seeing Hey Jini's appearance on 'Boss in the Mirror' during the time their symptoms were worsening. This was because the company A experienced was so different from the company shown on the broadcast. A pointed out that not only themselves but other employees also repeated night shifts, yet on the broadcast, Hey Jini was portrayed as a good boss who does not make employees work overtime.

Attention is focused on whether the former employee's exposure will lead to a verification of facts and a statement of the company's position. The image of a creator presenting friendly content to children is distinctly different from the role of a manager who must manage the working environment of employees. This controversy raises the question that not only the flashy public image of a famous creator but also the actual working conditions and organizational operations of the employees working behind the scenes must be examined.

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