Hey Jini's agency rebuffs labor exploitation claims, says it aided workers' comp filing

Kidsworks, the agency behind children's content creator Hey Jini — whose real name is Kang Hye-jin — has issued an official response to a former employee's allegations about working conditions and treatment. The company said it had provided salary increases, bonuses and broad autonomy in how work was carried out, and denied obstructing any workers' compensation claim.

Kidsworks released a statement Tuesday saying it was "genuinely sorry and regretful, beyond the question of the facts, that a colleague who worked with us has suffered health problems and difficult times," and went on to rebuff the former employee's claims point by point.

According to Kidsworks, the employee worked at the company from September 2017 to December 2018 before taking a leave of absence, then resigned voluntarily while on leave in May 2019. The company said it paid the employee according to the salary structure in place at the time of hiring, later raised the salary by 25 percent, and provided a separate bonus even during the leave period.

"From the early days of the company, we discussed the content and approach of each task with colleagues every time, and gave broad autonomy over work schedules and how tasks were carried out," Kidsworks said, adding that it had accommodated requests to adjust working hours and work from home.

In addition, the company said it had continuously encouraged the employee to reduce working hours, pause duties, or take vacation or leave to rest, and had also covered the deposit on a nearby residence to ease the burden of commuting.

On the allegation that it had obstructed a workers' compensation filing, the company said it "respected the colleague's wish to file for workers' compensation at the end of 2018 and introduced an external certified labor attorney," helping the employee receive direct consultation and guidance on the application process.

The company said it understood "that different memories and perceptions of the situation at the time may exist," and urged that "the reputation of our company and the creator not be damaged by unverified information and speculation."

The controversy began when a former employee, identified only as A, alleged through an online community that after joining in 2016, she developed panic disorder from overwork — including shifts of up to 16 hours a day — while earning an annual salary of 20 million won ($15,100).

A said she handled Chinese-language content production for Hey Jini's channel, managing scriptwriting, translation, voice actor casting, dubbing direction, video editing and uploads. She said she was diagnosed with panic disorder and depression in November 2018 due to work-related stress and ultimately received a workers' compensation ruling from the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service in January 2020.

She also alleged that Hey Jini's side had hurt her by casting doubt on her illness and had at one point suggested she not file for workers' compensation.

A second former employee, identified as B, subsequently raised additional concerns, saying that no compensatory days off were provided after weekend or holiday work, and that coming in on weekdays after working weekends was treated as a matter of course. B also said overtime pay was absent under the banner of a flat-rate wage system, and that working until the last train of the night was commonplace.

Meanwhile, Hey Jini is one of South Korea's leading children's content creators. She first gained recognition as "Carrie Unni" at Carriesoft before launching her own channel, which now has about 4.13 million subscribers.

betterj@heraldcorp.com