NewJeans' Hanni Testifies About Allegations of Bullying at HYBE During Parliamentary Audit
Oct 15, 2024
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On the afternoon of the 15th, the Environment and Labor Committee held a parliamentary audit at the National Assembly. Hanni was present as a reference, while CEO Kim Joo-young represented ADOR as a witness.
Hanni testified about experiences of workplace bullying at HYBE.
She began by discussing a live show with a NewJeans member, explaining her decision to attend the audit. "I mentioned last month that another manager within HYBE complained of bullying during an emergency YouTube live broadcast, saying, 'Ignore you.' I felt compelled to attend today, knowing that if I didn’t, this issue would likely be swept under the rug. This is something anyone could face in the future, regardless of whether they're senior or junior. I came in hoping that I wouldn’t be subjected to this."
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Hanni claimed that when she brought her concerns to CEO Kim Joo-young, she told her, "There is no evidence, so there’s nothing we can do." She described a scene in which she greeted someone on CCTV. "I saw the CCTV footage myself; there was only an eight-second clip of the greeting. I was told there’s no video from 50 minutes later. When I asked why that footage was missing, the reasons kept changing throughout the meeting. She even mistakenly said that she deleted the video. Since I am Vietnamese-Australian, I don’t fully understand Korean, so I recorded this important meeting to ensure I didn’t miss any critical details." Hanni added, "If there’s been a misunderstanding, I want to resolve it with my manager."
In response to Hanni's questioning, Kim Joo-young stated, "I first heard from my parents on June 13th. As one of the in-house directors, I asked to check the CCTV because I felt it was my duty to protect the artist. The manager mentioned is not from ADOR but is a CEO from another company. I inquired about the situation with the label and took every possible action, including restoring expired CCTV footage. Unfortunately, the arguments remain conflicting, and while I am looking for evidence to substantiate our claims, I have not yet secured it."
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In response to Kim Joo-young's comments, Hanni asserted, "I’m sorry, but I don’t think you did your best. There were ample actions you could have taken. You stated that you would protect us, but to do so, one must be willing to fight. It feels like you lacked the will to do that, so I can’t accept that you did your best." Hanni continued, "I know that if I ask you to do your best, it’ll just get dismissed. I want you to resolve this issue quickly before we discuss our future."
In reply, CEO Kim Joo-young said, "I will listen to the artists more and communicate better. Currently, there are conflicting accounts from both parties, so it’s crucial to establish the facts. We will sincerely cooperate with the ongoing Labor Office investigation to clarify the situation."
Regarding the question about the missing footage, Kim Joo-young stated, "I immediately requested confirmation of the CCTV, but I was only able to check the greeting video. The footage was archived, but the rest is not recoverable due to the expiration of the storage period."
jyn2011@sportschosun.com
