South Korean comedian Park Na-rae faces police probe after claims she ‘sexually harassed’ doll

Netflix star to be investigated after she arranged a children’s action figure into a sexual pose on her YouTube show

News sparks incredulity and complaints of double standards in a patriarchal society that remains uncomfortable with women talking about sex

Reading Time:3 minutes

South Korean comedian Park Na-rae. Photo: Han Myung-Gu/WireImage

Published: 12:30pm, 4 May 2021Updated: 9:02pm, 4 May 2021

By the standards of an entertainment industry that likes to play it safe, Park Na-rae stood out as risqué. The South Korean comedian riffed on sex and relationships in a 2019 Netflix special that billed her as “sassier and dirtier than ever before”.

Later that year, Park became embroiled in a minor controversy while hosting an industry awards show after viewers accused her of disrespecting an older male MC and comedian when she uttered an audible sigh.

But it wasn’t until Park, 35, arranged a children’s action figure into a sexual pose and joked about it during an appearance on her YouTube show that the police got involved.

Police in Seoul said on Friday they would investigate whether Park had broken the law after receiving a public complaint about the segment, during which she made lewd jokes and placed the action figure’s arm between its legs to resemble a penis.

The announcement followed weeks of controversy over the segment, which was aired in March, that has resulted in accusations of “sexual harassment” against Park, several apologies and the cancellation of her YouTube show.

Many South Koreans have reacted to the police probe with incredulity, asking how authorities could have time to investigate the “sexual harassment” of a doll in a country where sex crimes against women often go unpunished.

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