HYBE denies deleting 'Ignore Hanni' CCTV footage

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HYBE denies deleting 'Ignore Hanni' CCTV footage

Published: 08 Oct. 2024, 16:05 Updated: 08 Oct. 2024, 17:46

Pictured are condolence flowers NewJeans fans sent to to HYBE’s headquarters in Yongsan District, central Seoul, in support of the girl group's demand that the agency reinstate Min Hee-jin as CEO of subsidiary label ADOR on Sept. 25. [YONHAP]

HYBE and its label Belift Lab denied allegations that it had intentionally deleted CCTV footage related to its ongoing disagreement with girl group NewJeans and former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin, calling them “absurd.”

“We strongly demand that attempts to defame our rookie artist with unfounded plagiarism claims and groundless personnel controversies be stopped immediately,” Belift Lab said in a statement released Monday.

The parents of the popular K-pop act had publicly accused the conglomerate and its subsidiary Belift Lab of having erased the footage in an attempt to cover up its alleged mistreatment of NewJeans member Hanni in an interview with Ilgan Sports on Oct. 6.

The conflict began on Sept. 11 when the five members of NewJeans, which is signed to ADOR, demanded that HYBE reinstate Min as CEO of HYBE's subsidiary label ADOR in a YouTube livestream. Hanni, on the stream, mentioned that she'd overheard a manager instruct other HYBE artists to “ignore” her greetings. The artist did not specify which artists she'd overheard, though many online users speculated that she was referring to Belift Lab's ILLIT.

NewJeans' members and their parents later demanded that HYBE show them CCTV footage of the interaction; HYBE denied Hanni's allegations but was unable to produce the footage, claiming that it had been deleted after its one-month storage period expired and that the employee who would've possessed the files had since left the company.

The members' parents, in the Oct. 6 interview, expressed frustration with what they characterized as a “selective” deletion of footage and a lack of accountability within HYBE. They questioned how footage relevant to Hanni's accusation could've been deleted while other footage from the same day remained, and they criticized HYBE's attempts to shift blame onto an employee who had resigned.

The parents expressed concerns for NewJeans' safety and future within HYBE, claiming the conglomerate had “mishandled the situation” and put their children's well-being at risk.

Min was ousted from ADOR'S helm in August following a nearly six-month legal conflict with HYBE that began in April when the conglomerate launched an audit of the executive, claiming that she'd attempted to seize management control. Min responded in a public and emotional news conference where she stated, among many allegations, that ILLIT had “copied” NewJeans in elements including its choreography and concept.

Girl group ILLIT pose for a photo at Gimpo International Airport. [NEWS1]

HYBE and Belift Lab strongly denied both Hanni's and the parents' allegations on Monday. "The manager never told the ILLIT members to 'ignore' Hanni," the subsidiary label said in a news release, ironically confirming rumors that ILLIT was the group in question.

“Since this issue was first raised, we have sincerely investigated the matter, as we have always instructed artists to behave politely toward other artists,” the agency said. “However, even though we have provided all the requested explanations, we are suspicious of other intentions as they continue to raise new claims that cannot be verified.”

On Sept. 30, Hanni was invited to testify before the National Assembly's Environment and Labor Committee as part of a workplace harassment inquiry. The singer was one of 35 witnesses, including ADOR CEO Kim Ju-young, selected for the hearing, which is scheduled for Oct. 25.

BY YOON SEUNG-JIN [yoon.seungjin@joongang.co.kr]