NewJeans' Hanni reveals industry's lack of artist rights during National Assembly testimony

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NewJeans' Hanni reveals industry's lack of artist rights during National Assembly testimony

Published: 15 Oct. 2024, 18:08 Updated: 15 Oct. 2024, 18:21

YOON SO-YEON
yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr

Hanni of girl group NewJeans sheds tears while testifying at the National Assembly's Environment and Labor Committee on Oct. 15 in western Seoul. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

An alarming disparity in the way that a K-pop agency treats its artists and the artists’ rights as workers was revealed at the National Assembly on Tuesday.

While NewJeans member Hanni pleaded to be treated as a human being by the company, CEO of her agency ADOR Kim Ju-young — who is also the chief HR officer of HYBE — maintained that artists are different from other regular staff and therefore cannot be subject to the same workplace harassment measures dictated by the law.

"We are all human. I think a lot of people are forgetting that," Hanni of girl group NewJeans said, her voice trembling as she spoke at the National Assembly's Environment and Labor Committee on Tuesday to give her testimony on the workplace harassment allegation she raised last month.

"I understand that the contracts for artists and trainees may be different [from that of regular workers], but we are all human."

Hanni of girl group NewJeans looks at her agency ADOR CEO Kim Ju-young at the National Assembly in western Seoul on Oct. 15. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

The workplace harassment claim surfaced during a YouTube livestream on Sept. 11 where Hanni alleged that the manager of girl group ILLIT instructed a member to “ignore” Hanni. During the same livestream, the five members of NewJeans also demanded that HYBE reinstate Min Hee-jin as CEO of ADOR.

Hanni, a 20-year-old singer, whose real name is Hanni Pham, claimed that she took the matter to Kim, the new CEO of ADOR who replaced Min in August, who said that nothing could be done about it.

"There's this air in the company, which is really hard to describe, and so we couldn't really tell anyone. It's something you can only tell if you're the in it. I thought it was all in my head, but everything that has been happening makes us realize that the company just dislikes us."

Hanni of girl group NewJeans, far left, and CEO of her agency ADOR, Kim Ju-young at far right, testify at the National Assembly's Environment and Labor Committee on Oct. 15 in western Seoul. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Hanni's attendance came along with Kim Ju-young, the CEO of NewJeans' agency ADOR, who was called in to be questioned on the company's efforts to prevent workplace harassment issues within the company.

“My understanding is that artists are not defined as employees by the law,” Kim said, when asked whether artists are protected by the same anti-harassment regulations within the company.

“We have an internal guidance policy where we explain how constituents, regardless of whether they are employees or not, should respect each other. We are holding regular training programs and using a lot of effort to form our corporate culture.”

Hanni of girl group NewJeans testifies at the National Assembly's Environment and Labor Committee on Oct. 15 in western Seoul. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

According to Kim, artists are not included in the list of people who can use HYBE’s company hotline to report workplace harassment, which is why HYBE has an internal guidance that she called the “mutual respect action guide.”

“I think that I took the best possible measures that I could have as a member of the ADOR board, but seeing Hanni and the emotions that brought her here makes me look back on whether there was more that I could have done,” Kim said.

NewJeans' members and their parents later requested that HYBE provide them with CCTV footage of the incident, but HYBE denied the allegations and claimed the footage had been deleted due to expired storage.

Hanni of girl group NewJeans sheds tears while testifying at the National Assembly's Environment and Labor Committee on Oct. 15 in western Seoul. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

The parents of the K-pop group then publicly accused HYBE and its label Belift Lab of erasing the footage to cover up its alleged mistreatment of Hanni, in an interview with local news outlet Ilgan Sports on Oct. 6.

“It’s not just that one incident, but a person very high up never returned our greetings whenever we ran into them at the office,” Hanni said with a trembling voice.

“I know that laws can’t take care of everything, but I really hope that I can just work and be respected as a human being inside the office. I hope that no other artist or colleague has to worry about something like this.”

Hanni of girl group NewJeans testifies at the National Assembly's Environment and Labor Committee on Oct. 15 in western Seoul. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

A larger human rights issue at not only HYBE but in the wider entertainment industry also surfaced during the audit, regarding working hours.

HYBE was named a leading workplace company by the Ministry of Employment and Labor this year, which provides tax cuts and other incentives to companies that offer its employees quality welfare benefits and a sound workplace environment.

However, an employee died after working overtime at the company in September 2022. The incident was not classified as industrial accident. According to Rep. Jung Hye-kyung of the progressive Jinbo Party, an employee collapsed in the middle of the office while working and died even after they were transferred to a hospital.

“The entertainment industry is notorious for overworking its staff under the pretense of ‘passion,’” Jung said. “HYBE should be providing the correct environment for people as a leader in the industry, but so many young people are having their dreams held hostage and pushed to the limit instead.”

Kim Ju-young, CEO of K-pop agency ADOR, at the National Assembly on Oct. 15 [NEWS1]

Kim refuted the lawmaker’s claim that HYBE tried to cover up the case or that the employee died of fatigue.

“To my understanding, they went to a sleeping room to take a rest in September 2022,” Kim said. “They said that they would rest a little and come back, but they unfortunately collapsed. We found them and transferred them to the hospital, but they unfortunately died due to their own personal illness.”

No autopsy took place “due to the family’s wishes,” according to Kim.

“We will heed the calls of the National Assembly and make necessary changes,” Kim. “We will endeavor to better protect artists, including Hanni, and make sure that their potential is fully realized.”

The questioning took place for approximately an hour, from 2:40 p.m. to 3:40 p.m.

BY YOON SO-YEON [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]