Hey Jini's One-Word "Yes" on a Leaked Call Undercuts Her Company's Denial

Hey Jini answered "yes" when a former employee asked whether she had put a line in a company filing saying it was doubtful the employee was really sick. That one-word reply, captured in a call recording released on the 27th, sits awkwardly next to the company's statement published the same day denying it obstructed a workers' compensation claim.

The recording aired on the YouTube channel Respect Lee Jin-ho. It features Hey Jini (real name Kang Hye-jin) and the former employee, identified as A. When the call was recorded has not been disclosed.

What the call actually says

Hey Jini opens by asking how A has been feeling lately. A says the condition is bad and that they have been prescribed a lot of medication. A then raises the opinion the company submitted during the workers' compensation review. A asks whether Hey Jini included the phrase "doubtful whether this is really a sick person" even though she knew a doctor had said travel would help the treatment.

Hey Jini replies with a short "yes." After a pause, A says they understand her thinking and ends the call.

A's allegations and the second accuser

A posted online on the 21st that they earned 2 million won a year (about 20 million won in the source's framing of annual pay) at Hey Jini's company and worked up to 16 hours a day. A says they were hospitalized in the ER during overtime work in November 2018 and were diagnosed with panic disorder, depression and social anxiety. A also says the workload came from running the Chinese-language channel alone, from scripts and translation to dubbing, editing and uploads.

A claims Hey Jini offered 4 million won out of pocket if A would skip the filing, and that the company then submitted documents denying a link between the work and the illness. A says the claim was approved in January 2020 after roughly a year of review, and that their condition worsened enough to lead to a suicide attempt that April. A says treatment continues.

On the 27th, a second former employee, B, added claims: no compensatory days off for weekend and holiday work, unpaid overtime under a comprehensive wage system, pressure when claiming meal or taxi costs, pay near minimum wage, and being blocked from quitting.

The company's response

Kidsworks, Hey Jini's company, posted a statement on her channel the same day. It says it raised A's salary by 25%, paid bonuses even during leave, supported housing costs near the office, allowed flexible hours and remote work, and repeatedly urged reduced hours or leave. It says that when A said in late 2018 they wanted to file, the company introduced an outside certified labor attorney for consultation. It also says it is open to talking with A directly or through a representative, and is reviewing its labor practices with a certified labor attorney.

The statement does not address the recording or the 4 million won claim, and no separate comment has followed. Park Chung-hyuk, Kidsworks CEO and Hey Jini's husband, told OSEN he has nothing to add beyond the statement.

Hey Jini rose to fame as "Carrie" on Carrie and Toy Friends in 2014, went independent in 2017, and now runs a channel with about 4.13 million subscribers. The allegations are unproven, and the company disputes them.