Kids Creator Heygini Faces Backlash Over Labor Exploitation Allegations and Past Employee Treatment
Subscribers and former staff face conflicting accounts as creator 헤이지니 faces online exposure regarding workplace conditions, chosun.com reported.
Former Employee Reports Long Hours and Panic Disorder
Recent online community posts detail allegations from a former employee, identified as A, who claimed employment at Heojini’s company starting in 2017 after accepting a proposal to work on a Chinese-language channel. A reported working up to 16 hours daily under a comprehensive wage system with an annual salary of approximately 20 million won, eventually receiving a panic disorder diagnosis and securing industrial accident recognition. A also performed various odd jobs including editing, event winner selection, and searching for voice actors for the Chinese-language channel. Following the disclosures, a recorded phone call between Heojini and A regarding the industrial accident application was made public by YouTuber Lee Jin-ho. In the recording, when A asked whether Heojini had included a statement questioning if A was truly sick in an opinion letter submitted to the Korea Workers’ Compensation and Welfare Service, Heojini answered affirmatively. A also claimed that Heojini had previously suggested taking 4 million won instead of filing for an industrial accident.
Heojini’s side countered these claims by stating that A worked from September 2017 to December 2018 before taking a leave of absence and voluntarily resigning in May 2019. The management side maintained that wages were paid properly with a subsequent 25 percent salary increase and separate bonus payments during leave, adding that they introduced an outside certified labor attorney to assist with the industrial accident application process.
Additional Expose and Compensation Complaints
Subsequent revelations published on news1.kr expanded the scope of workplace grievances. Another former employee from the 2020s alleged a lack of compensation for weekend and holiday work, forced overtime under flat-rate wage systems, and strict limitations on meal and taxi expense claims. The same former employee described difficulties during resignation procedures, alleging pressure and extended handover periods. This additional former employee alleged that overtime frequently lasted until public transportation stopped, that no compensatory leave was given for weekend or holiday work, and that base salaries were set tightly around the minimum wage with minimal increases.
In contrast to these workplace friction points, other creators have recently promoted extensive employee benefits. As highlighted by yonhapnewstv.co.kr, beauty creator Cene publicized recruitment details featuring unlimited meal and snack support, shopping stipends, hair styling subsidies, and holiday bonuses. Cene, who has 2.3 million TikTok followers and appeared on the Coupang Play survival program Just Makeup
under the moniker Short-form King
alongside winning the Videographer of the Year award at the 2025 TikTok Awards, posted recruitment notices featuring nine welfare benefits including unlimited meal and snack support, half-day leave for birthdays, cosmetic support, 100,000-won shopping coupons for every Olive Young sale totaling 400,000 won annually, hair styling assistance, holiday bonuses, completely casual dress codes with comments that staff can even wear pajamas, and no forced dinners.
Archived Videos Show Staff Performing Childcare Tasks
Public scrutiny has extended to archived video content. The footage captured Heojini telling staff members to run over and push the stroller while expressing difficulty, with staff members laying out mats, caring for the children, and bringing food, while Heojini watched from afar and added a caption referring to a staff member as undergoing forced aerobic exercise.
Viewers left critical comments regarding staff members being assigned childcare tasks. Additional archived footage showed Heojini taking accompanying staff on a cruise trip and emphasizing the benefit.