On the afternoon of Oct 15th, Hanni appeared before the National Assembly’s Environment and Labor Committee to testify about workplace bullying in the K-pop industry, specifically concerning “idol isolation” issues. NewJeans‘ agency ADOR was also represented by its new CEO Kim Joo-young, who attended as a witness. Hanni, along with other NewJeans members’ parents, previously raised concerns about bullying within ADOR’s parent company HYBE and alleged inadequate responses from CEO Kim Joo-young.
Hanni recounted an incident in which she was waiting while 3 team members from another label and a female manager passed by. Hanni explained, “I greeted the members nicely, and 5~10 minutes later, when they passed by again, the manager made eye contact with me and told the members following her, ‘Pretend you didn’t see her and ignore her.’” Hanni continued, “I couldn’t understand why this was happening to me. But it wasn’t just a one-time incident. If I hadn’t come forward, this would have been swept under the rug. I’m here because I don’t want others to experience the same thing.“
Hanni also claimed that she had experienced neglect and isolation since the early stages of her debut. She indirectly referred to Chairman Bang Si-hyuk, saying, “Since debut, I’ve encountered many high-ranking individuals, and every time I greeted them, they never responded. Living in Korea, I understood it to be part of the culture to show respect to elders. Not responding to a greeting is not just unprofessional but simply rude as a human being.”
In response, CEO Kim Joo-young acknowledged the issue, stating, “As an internal director at ADOR, I have taken various measures related to this matter. Given the feelings Hanni expressed and how the situation has escalated, I reflect on whether I could have done better.” She also clarified that the manager Hanni referred to was not from ADOR but from another label under HYBE.
However, Hanni responded, “I don’t think CEO Kim Joo-young did her best. There was much more that could have been done. She claimed she was protecting us, but there was no real action or willingness behind those words. It doesn’t seem like the best effort was made. I hope from now on, she will truly do her best. I know this issue will be brushed aside if we don’t address it now, so I hope it will be resolved quickly before discussing the future.”
Meanwhile, Hanni said tearfully, “I know that no law can solve every problem in this world, but if we respect each other as humans, there would be no workplace harassment or bullying.”
Source: Daum, Daum
