New Jeans' Hanni to Testify in National Assembly Hearing on Workplace Bullying Allegations

The National Assembly's Environment and Labor Committee has adopted NewJeans' Hanni as a reference for a parliamentary audit and is inquiring about workplace bullying.

On the 30th, the Environment and Labor Commission (hereinafter referred to as the Global Labor Relations Commission) voted to require Hanni as a reference on the 25th of next month, along with HYBE's Chief Personnel Officer, Kim Joo-young, as a witness.

The National Assembly plans to question Hanni regarding the issue of workplace harassment and to ask Kim why the response to such allegations has been inadequate.

On the 11th, members of NewJeans revealed that they felt ignored by HYBE while demanding the return of former CEO Min Hee-jin and ADOR. Hanni reportedly greeted other artists and managers while waiting in the hallway for her hair and makeup session on the fourth floor of HYBE but was met with silence. The manager allegedly told them to ignore Hanni, and when this was reported to the new CEO, the CEO stated there was no evidence, so they tried to let it go.

Following these revelations, public sentiment shifted toward viewing the situation as workplace harassment, prompting NewJeans fans to file a complaint with the Ministry of Employment and Labor through a national newspaper.

Furthermore, even if someone is designated as a witness or reference by the National Assembly, they are not required to attend if they submit a valid reason for their absence. However, in the case of witnesses, if the National Assembly does not deem the reason justifiable, they may issue an order for compliance or file a complaint.