The National Assembly’s Environment and Labor Committee held a government audit on Oct 15., focusing on the Economic, Social, and Labor Council (ESLC) and organizations under the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL). During the session, Hanni from the K-pop group NewJeans was called as a reference, while Kim Ju-young, CEO of ADOR and Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) at HYBE, was summoned as a witness. The inquiry examined workplace bullying allegations, including claims of discrimination against NewJeans. Hanni made history as the first K-pop idol to testify in a parliamentary audit.
In a live guerrilla stream, Hanni and her fellow NewJeans members expressed concerns about potential bullying within HYBE. Hanni revealed that she overheard a manager from another HYBE label “ignoring” her (Hanni). The group reported the incident to ADOR’s CEO, Kim Ju-young, but claimed no action was taken.
Recalling the event, Hanni shared, “I was on the floor of the HYBE building where we get our hair and makeup done. It was during university festival season, and I was preparing for an appearance at Pusan National University. I had finished getting ready ahead of everyone else and was waiting in the hallway.”
“Then, three members from another label’s group passed by with their manager. I greeted them, but they walked by again about 5 to 10 minutes later. As the manager made eye contact with me, she told the others, ‘Just ignore her, pretend you didn’t see her.’”
She continued, “I couldn’t understand why I had to go through this. But it wasn’t just a one-time issue. If I didn’t speak out, it would quietly be overlooked. This is something that could happen to anyone. I came forward because I don’t want others to experience the same thing.” She explained that this was her reason for testifying at the National Assembly hearing.
Hanni also cited other instances to support her claim of being ostracized at HYBE. “That wasn’t the only incident. Since the early days of our debut, I’ve frequently encountered higher-ups. Every time I greeted them, they never once acknowledged me,” hinting at HYBE’s Chairman, Bang Si-hyuk.
“During my time in Korea, I learned that showing respect to elders is important, but failing to acknowledge a greeting—regardless of rank—is simply rude. The situation I encountered was subtle enough to be dismissed as a misunderstanding, but it left me feeling ignored. It’s a sensation only those who’ve experienced it can truly grasp. Initially, I thought I was imagining things, but after seeing it happen again, I realized something was off.”
When Hanni first raised her concerns with ADOR’s CEO, Kim Ju-young, they were dismissed for lack of evidence. “The CEO said there was no proof. I brought up the existence of CCTV footage, but she claimed it only showed people greeting each other. I explained the situation in detail, but when I asked to review the footage myself, it confirmed her statement—just greetings and nothing more. That’s when I started to feel uncertain. As a foreigner with imperfect Korean, I began recording conversations to make sure I didn’t misunderstand anything. There is evidence that the situation wasn’t handled properly.”
Hanni also expressed her desire to resolve the issue constructively. “I asked the director if we could arrange a meeting with the manager involved because I believe in addressing issues and moving forward. However, they only provided an 8-second video showing the greeting, and no additional footage was available from the CCTV. If this is all just a misunderstanding, I want it cleared up,” she concluded.
She then shared further instances where NewJeans faced similar treatment. “Recently, I saw employees criticizing NewJeans on the app Blind. I also heard a recording of a director from HYBE’s PR team downplaying our performance in Japan through negative viral marketing. These incidents made me feel even more strongly that the company just doesn’t seem to like us.”
