NewJeans’ Hanni to testify before Seoul lawmakers over workplace harassment

NewJeans’ Hanni arrives to testify at the National Assembly in Seoul on Oct. 15, 2024. Hanni, 20, who is Vietnamese-Australian, has spoken publicly about being bullied in the workplace, saying she overheard a manager linked to her agency’s parent company instructing other idols to “ignore” her. (Photo by Kim Min-Hee / AFP)

SEOUL, South Korea — A member of chart-topping girl group NewJeans will testify for South Korean lawmakers Tuesday, Oct. 15, as part of an inquiry into workplace harassment, amid a boardroom drama over her super producer.

In recent years, South Korea’s K-pop industry has become a global juggernaut powered by the success of groups like BTS, but domestically it is known for imposing strict standards and controls on fledgling stars.

Rising K-pop idols are expected to adhere to their powerful agency’s behavior and appearance guidelines, with many stars describing receiving extreme backlash from fans over perceived mistakes in their personal lives, for example dating.

Hanni, 20, who is Vietnamese-Australian, has spoken publicly about being bullied in the workplace, saying she overheard a manager linked to her agency’s parent company instructing other idols to “ignore” her.

“I greeted a manager and artists from another group at the HYBE building, but the manager told them to ignore me. I still can’t understand why,” she said during a YouTube live stream in September.

Hanni wrote on a fan platform last week that she would attend the parliamentary hearing to discuss the alleged bullying.

The alleged event occurred amid a dispute between NewJeans’ producer and mastermind, Min Hee-jin, and HYBE, the South Korean agency that manages BTS, after HYBE filed a legal complaint against Min for breach of trust in business.

Min, who headed HYBE’s subsidiary ADOR which manages NewJeans, was replaced as ADOR’s president in August amid the boardroom conflict.

During the live stream in which Hanni had raised the harassment claim, all NewJeans’ members demanded that Min be reinstated as ADOR’s CEO.

Multiple court cases on the issue are ongoing.

Hanni will testify before South Korean lawmakers who sit on the parliamentary committee overseeing workplace conditions and safety.

ADOR’s Min, who joined the industry in the early 2000s, is widely regarded as one of the most successful producers in the K-pop scene, having worked with stars such as Girls’ Generation, EXO and SHINee, among others.

NewJeans, produced by Min, is among HYBE’s most successful K-pop groups, alongside BTS, which is currently on a hiatus as some members perform South Korea’s mandatory military service.

BTS member J Hope is scheduled to finish his military service this Thursday.