NewJeans’ Hanni Testifies Before The National Assembly Regarding Bullying, Criticizes Bang Si Hyuk Indirectly
NewJeans member Hanni has testified before the National Assembly!
On the afternoon of the 15th of October, Hanni attended a National Assembly hearing held by the Environment and Labor Committee to testify about workplace bullying, particularly related to “idol bullying.” Kim Ju-young, the new CEO of ADOR, NewJeans’ label, was also present as a witness. Previously, Hanni and the parents of other NewJeans members raised concerns about bullying within HYBE, ADOR’s parent company, and accused CEO Kim of inadequate responses.
Hanni stated, “I was waiting with about three other members from a different label when a female manager walked by. We greeted her politely, but five to ten minutes later, she returned, made eye contact with me, and then told the members following her, ‘Just pretend you didn’t see them, ignore them.’” She continued, “I didn’t understand why this was happening. But this wasn’t the first time. If I don’t speak out, this issue will be quietly overlooked. I’m here because I don’t want others to experience this.”
Hanni also addressed the claim of being ignored by senior figures at HYBE, saying, “Since debut, I’ve encountered many higher-ups, but they never returned my greetings.” Although she didn’t mention him directly, she seemed to refer to Bang Si-hyuk, noting, “I understood that in Korea, it’s part of the culture to show respect to elders, but not returning a greeting is, beyond profession, simply rude as a human being.”
In response, ADOR CEO Kim Ju-young commented, “As a director at ADOR, I’ve taken various actions regarding this issue. Seeing how Hanni feels, I wonder if I could have done more.” She clarified that the manager Hanni mentioned was not from ADOR but from another label.
Hanni responded, “I don’t think CEO Kim did his best. There was more she could have done, and while she claimed to protect us, there was no real action or will behind it. I don’t believe she did her utmost. I hope she puts in more effort moving forward, but I also hope this issue is resolved quickly before discussing the future.”
What do you think of this?
Source: (A)
