P Nation Under Investigation For A Worker’s Death, Seoul Office Raided

Psy‘s company P Nation is currently under fire over the death of an unidentified Mongolian worker during the “Summer Swag” festival. The labor ministry raided the office of P Nation on August 25 to investigate this case.

The accident occurred on July 30, when the twenty-something worker fell to his death while dismantling the set after Psy’s concert in Gangneung city. Speculations say that he had not been provided the necessary safety gears while working in a rough weather.

Psy ‘Summer Swag’ concert in Gangneung | Yonhap News

If the speculations are true, then P Nation has violented the Industrial Safety and Health Act, which states that outdoor work is to be suspended during unstable weather conditions. Addtionally, the company can also stand guilty of violating another law governing industrial actions that occur during disasters.

According to the statement of Ministry of Employment and Labour,  its Gangwon Province branch sent their personnel to the Southern Seoul office of P Nation along with their several sub-contractor offices to look for evidence.

P Nation’s office in Seoul | Mnet K-POP/YouTube

At the time of the worker’s death,  P Nation issued a statement expressing their condolences to the his family and confirming that it was a sudden accident. The company also assured that it will help out the worker’s family with his funeral.

We will do our best to establish measures to prevent another accident like this from happening, with a sense of responsibility

—P Nation

But soon after, the labour ministry issued a search and seizure warrant from the court against the company on charges of violating industry safety laws. Even though Psy has control over 60% of P Nation, there is another unidentified person who actually heads the company. So, if the charges are proven, Psy will probably not face any legal consequences.

This is not the first time Psy’s “Summer Swag” festival has been the subject of serious criticism. Previously, the South Korean public expressed their disapproval for this festival that used large quantities of water to drench the audience while the country faced its worst drought this year. In July, it also came under the scrutiny of Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters after more and more concert go-ers were testing positive for COVID. Even in early August, the city of Yeosu reprimanded the festival for leaving the local stadium ‘severely damanged.’