[Dispatch=Reporter Kim Ji-ho] "While Cha Ga-won enjoys a luxurious life, employees suffer severe hardship" (Victims' meeting from 3 companies)
Approximately 100 employees who worked at One Hundred Label, Big Planet Made Entertainment, and I&B100 have formed a victims' meeting. They warned Cha Ga-won's side to "stop deceiving and mocking employees."
The victims' meeting from the 3 companies issued a statement on the 16th, saying "Cha Ga-won's side is demanding a non-prosecution agreement before making efforts to resolve the prolonged wage arrears issue."
The employees stated, "Cha Ga-won's side is using non-prosecution agreements as bait while mocking victims," and expressed hopes that "responsible solutions be presented promptly."
The employees' side noted, "Cha Ga-won's side is saying they will pay wages if employees sign non-prosecution agreements," adding "but before requesting non-prosecution agreements from staff, the order should be to pay overdue wages first."
They also pointed out the attitude of Cha Ga-won's legal representative. Cha Ga-won's lawyer allegedly mocked victims by saying, "If you write a non-prosecution agreement and don't get paid wages, you can just report it as fraud lol."
The employees' side emphasized, "Once a non-prosecution agreement is submitted to investigative authorities or courts, it becomes difficult for victims to withdraw it," criticizing that "they are making claims inconsistent with legal principles and mocking victims."
They also questioned the whereabouts of hundreds of billions of won in company funds. "As we understand it, hundreds of billions of won in funds that should be in the company have disappeared," they stated, "and have been transferred to Cha Ga-won personally or to accounts of Cha Ga-won-related companies."
They also appealed to the Ministry of Employment and Labor, saying "approximately 100 employees are suffering damages including unpaid national insurance contributions, wage arrears, and unsettled severance payments," asking "whether there are appropriate administrative measures we can rely on."
Meanwhile, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Financial Crime Investigation Division recently applied for an arrest warrant for Cha Ga-won, chairman, to the Seoul Central District Prosecutor's Office on charges including fraud under the Act on Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes.
Chairman Cha allegedly proposed the business of using intellectual property (IP) rights of affiliated entertainers to a corporation called "Normus" and entered into a contract. However, he faces charges of failing to actually implement the business. The estimated damage is reported to be around 30 billion won.
Big Planet is a subsidiary of One Hundred Label. One Hundred is a company jointly established in 2023 by Peak Group Chairman Cha Ga-won and MC Mong. They aimed to expand their reach, dreaming of becoming an entertainment industry giant.
However, following personal controversies between Chairman Cha Ga-won and MC Mong, affiliated singers left one after another. They reportedly did not receive settlement payments. It is also known that payments to cooperating companies, staff wages, and employee salaries remain unpaid.
Chairman Cha Ga-won recently claimed through MBC-TV's 'PD Notebook,' "There is not a single instance of company funds being used as personal funds or for inappropriate purposes."
<Below is the statement from the victims' meeting from 3 companies>
We, the "victims' meeting from 3 companies," express regret at the current situation where Cha Ga-won's side recently posted apology statements on YouTube and promised to resolve the prolonged wage arrears issue soon, yet behind the scenes is using non-prosecution agreements as bait and mocking victims.
We express deep regret at such an attitude from Cha Ga-won's side. We hope for responsible solutions to be presented promptly and present the following four positions.
First, while Cha Ga-won's side says they will deposit wages if employees sign non-prosecution agreements, the order should be to pay overdue wages first before requesting non-prosecution agreements from employees.
While Cha Ga-won enjoys a luxurious life driving expensive foreign cars, employees have not received overdue monthly wages for several months and are suffering severe hardship. Wages should have no conditions attached, and non-prosecution agreements, which should be resolved through employees' goodwill, should absolutely not be used as bait for wage payments.
Second, we request that Cha Ga-won's legal representative (attorney Hyun Dong-yeop from Law Firm Hwageum) stop deceiving and mocking employees and apologize. Cha Ga-won's side claims that "if one writes a non-prosecution agreement and does not receive wages, the non-prosecution agreement is meaningless," and that "some employees requesting overdue wages first either fail to understand this procedure and structure or are making false claims." Furthermore, Cha Ga-won's legal representative is mocking victims by saying, "If you write a non-prosecution agreement and don't get paid wages, you can just report it as fraud lol."
However, once a non-prosecution agreement is submitted to investigative authorities or courts, it becomes difficult for victims to withdraw it. Cha Ga-won's side is making claims inconsistent with legal principles, misrepresenting it as if some employees are misunderstanding the content or making malicious claims, and further mocking victims.
Third, hundreds of billions of won in company funds have been transferred to suspicious accounts. As we understand it, hundreds of billions of won that should be in the company have disappeared and been transferred to accounts of Cha Ga-won personally or Cha Ga-won-related companies. This has resulted in continuous damages to employees' wages that should naturally be paid, payments to business partners, and artist settlement payments, with damages snowballing.
Going forward, the "victims' meeting from 3 companies" will continue requesting investigations from authorities regarding these criminal allegations and plans to fully cooperate by providing all facts about what has occurred during the investigation process until unlawful acts are corrected.
Fourth, we urge the Ministry of Employment and Labor. Currently, approximately 100 employees who worked at One Hundred Label, Big Planet Made Entertainment, and I&B100 are suffering damages including unpaid national insurance contributions, wage arrears, and unsettled severance payments.
Officials at the Ministry of Employment and Labor should examine whether Cha Ga-won's side's act of attaching conditions such as requesting non-prosecution agreements to wages they should rightfully pay contradicts the true purpose of labor law, and whether there are truly no appropriate administrative measures we can rely on as we suffer psychological pain from various forms of mockery and secondary harm inflicted on our members.
Thank you.
<Photo=Dispatch DB>
