'Heumbbeok Show' Worker Falls to Death... Park Noja Criticizes "This is the Current State of South Korea"

"K-pop Singers' Infrastructure Labor Environment Risky Despite Fame"
Psy's Side "Will Take Responsible Attitude for Countermeasures and Recurrence Prevention"

Professor Park Noja of the University of Oslo in Norway criticized the lack of accountability for those responsible for the fall accident that occurred during the dismantling of singer Psy's concert stage.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] Regarding the death of a foreign worker who fell while dismantling the stage of singer Psy's 'Hmph Show,' Professor Park No-ja of the University of Oslo in Norway sharply criticized, saying, "This is the current state of the Republic of Korea." Professor Park, originally from Russia, became a naturalized Korean citizen in 2001.

Through his recent Facebook post, Professor Park stated, "K-pop singers like Psy can gain worldwide fame, but the workers responsible for the material infrastructure of their performances in Korea still have to risk their lives working in dangerous environments as in the past," adding, "Even if they die in safety accidents, there is no punishment for those responsible."

He also pointed out the unreasonable income distribution structure in the Korean entertainment industry. He claimed, "In the domestic entertainment industry, the top 1% of actors earn an average annual income of over 2 billion KRW, while the bottom 90% earn about 7 million KRW," and "Nine out of ten actors work two or three jobs, earning an average of 600,000 to 700,000 KRW per month from their main activities to make a living." Furthermore, he raised his voice, saying, "There is not even a trace of 'fairness' anywhere," and "Korea remains a society of injustice and disparity, and that gap only deepens."

The incident mentioned by Professor Park occurred on the 31st of last month at the Gangneung Sports Complex in Gangwon Province. A Mongolian national in his 20s, Mr. A, fell about 15 meters while dismantling a lighting tower around 3:53 p.m. that day. He was immediately transported to a nearby hospital after the accident but passed away.

In response, Psy's agency P Nation released a statement expressing, "We sincerely mourn the deceased who lost his life in this unfortunate accident," and "We extend our deepest condolences to the bereaved family." They added, "We will do our best to take care of the deceased's final journey," and emphasized, "We will take responsible measures to prepare countermeasures and prevent recurrence so that such incidents do not happen again." This appears to be a commitment to do their utmost in response to demands for accountability raised by some quarters.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.