Haejini former employee alleges extreme working conditions

A former employee of popular South Korean kids' YouTuber Hejini (born Kang Hye-jin) has come forward with allegations of severe labor exploitation and mental health struggles. The former staff member, identified as Person A, claims they were tasked with managing an entire Chinese-language channel alone, including scriptwriting, translation, voice acting coordination, and video editing.

According to the allegations, Person A worked up to 16 hours a day without overtime pay on an annual salary of approximately 20 million KRW. The individual reported suffering from panic disorder, depression, and social anxiety due to the workload, eventually receiving official recognition for industrial accident compensation in January 2020.

The claimant also alleged that during the compensation process, the company attempted to deny the connection between the work environment and their illness, even suggesting a private payment of 4 million KRW in exchange for not filing for industrial accident benefits. While the company has previously stated that work was conducted under flexible agreements and inclusive contracts, the former employee has contested these claims, stating they never utilized remote work options.