NewJeans’ Hanni to attend National Assembly audit as witness

Hanni, a member of the K-pop group NewJeans, said she will attend the upcoming National Assembly audit regarding workplace bullying and ostracism as a reference witness. The audit will take place Oct. 15.

Hanni, on Wednesday, shared her decision on the fan communication app "Phoning," saying, "I will attend the audit alone. I’m doing this for myself, the NewJeans members and our fans."

"Neither my manager nor the company (Ador) knows yet, but after much thought, I believe this is the right thing to do," the singer added.

When contacted by The Korea Herald, Ador declined to comment on the issue.

The musician’s decision follows a claim made during a YouTube live broadcast with other NewJeans members on Sept. 11. In the video, she alleged that a manager of a K-pop band under another Hybe subsidiary told the band to "ignore her,” leading Hanni to believe she was being ostracized within the K-pop powerhouse.

Hybe refuted that the manager in question works for Belift Lab, a subsidiary of Hybe, which manages rookie girl group Illit. After reviewing CCTV footage and conducting an investigation, Belift Lab concluded that Hanni’s claims were unfounded.

Hanni also shared her mother’s message supporting her decision to attend the National Assembly audit through Phoning on Thursday.

“We stand by Hanni’s choice, understanding that attending the National Assembly audit is a heavy responsibility, and she does not take it lightly,” Hanni’s mother said in the message. “We were deeply upset when we first heard about the incident at Hybe, and we felt it was important to prevent such an issue from happening again. We encourage her to speak out.”

Following the controversy of Hanni's YouTube Live comments, on Sept. 30 the National Assembly’s Environment and Labor Committee invited her as a reference witness for an upcoming Ministry of Employment and Labor audit. Ador CEO Kim Ju-young has also been summoned as a witness. However, Ador declined to confirm her attendance.

In a separate development Thursday, a NewJeans fan group "Team Bunnies" submitted a complaint to the Yongsan Police Station in Seoul against Kim Ju-young, CEO of Ador, and Lee Do-kyung, Deputy CEO of Ador, on charges of breach of duty and obstruction of business.

Team Bunnies claimed that "CEO Kim and Deputy CEO Lee intentionally neglected to take active measures to prevent interference with the activities of NewJeans members," and that they "hindered NewJeans' future activities, causing significant damage."

The complaint also included charges against Hybe's chief public relations officer and PR director. The group alleges these officials violated the Personal Information Protection Act and the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection.

Min Hee-jin, the former CEO of Ador, the K-pop agency behind NewJeans, was removed in August following troubles with Hybe. Tension continues with NewJeans demanding Min's return as CEO which Hybe has flatly refused.