South Korean pop star Hanni has made a surprising announcement, stating that she will testify before the National Assembly in a hearing about bullying within the music industry. The singer, a member of the girl group NewJeans, revealed that her decision was made without consulting her managers or her record label, Ador.
“I believe moving forward is the right thing to do, no matter how much I reflect on it,” Hanni shared with her fans on social media.
This development follows concerns she and her fellow NewJeans members raised about their treatment by Ador during a spontaneous YouTube livestream on September 11. The group, which became the eighth best-selling act globally last year with hits like *SuperShy* and *OMG*, voiced grievances against their label.
Their former mentor and Ador’s CEO, Min Hee-Jin, was removed earlier this year after allegations surfaced that she was planning a hostile takeover to make NewJeans and Ador independent of their parent company, Hybe. Min denied the allegations. In the now-deleted livestream, the band demanded Min’s reinstatement and accused the label of workplace harassment.
Hanni recounted an incident in which she greeted members of another band at their label offices, only to be instructed by their manager to “ignore her.” She reported the matter to Ador’s new CEO, Kim Joo-Young, but felt her concerns were dismissed. “She told me it was too late and that I had no evidence. Seeing her ignore the issue made me feel like there was no one to protect us,” Hanni alleged during the livestream.
The accusation led to tensions between fans of NewJeans and another girl group, Illit, rumored to be involved in the incident. As the dispute grew, Illit’s agency, Belift Lab, was compelled to issue a denial.
Belift Lab, the agency managing the girl group Illit, responded to the allegations, stating, “Illit’s managers never instructed anyone to ‘ignore’ NewJeans members, and the Illit members have always greeted NewJeans when passing by.” The agency also mentioned that they had reviewed video footage showing Illit members bowing to Hanni on the day in question, but noted that subsequent footage of their interactions was unavailable. They denied accusations from NewJeans members’ parents that the missing footage had been deliberately deleted.
The situation escalated to South Korea’s Environment and Labour Committee, which has summoned both Hanni and Ador’s CEO, Kim Joo-Young, to testify in a parliamentary audit on workplace harassment later this month.
In her statement to fans, Hanni declared, “I’ve made my decision. I’m going to the National Assembly. A parliamentary inspection! I’m going alone. They still don’t know… neither my managers nor the company.” She thanked fans for their support and reassured them, saying, “I’m doing this for myself, for the members [of NewJeans], and also for the Bunnies [fans]. You don’t need to worry.”
