'We are all human': NewJeans' Hanni sheds tears during testimony at National Assembly

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'We are all human': NewJeans' Hanni sheds tears during testimony at National Assembly

Published: 15 Oct. 2024, 16:21 Updated: 15 Oct. 2024, 17:58

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]

NewJeans member Hanni shed tears in front of the National Assembly's Environment and Labor Committee as she testified on a workplace harassment allegation raised last month.

"We are all human. I think a lot of people are forgetting that," Hanni's voice shook as she recounted her experiences to representatives at the National Assembly in western Seoul.

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

The workplace harrassment claim surfaced during a YouTube livestream on Sept. 11 where Hanni alleged that the manager of girl group ILLIT instructed the 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 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]

"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'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 harrassment issues within the company.

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.

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]

"We took necessary measures such as consulting the staff at the label regarding the manager in question. We received the answer that no such thing took place," Kim told lawmakers.

"I took the best possible measures, such as asking whether we could restore the surveillance footage. But the situation is regretfully seeing two conflicting claims from the two parties. I believe Hanni's words, and I have been trying to find a way to prove her claims but we have unfortunately failed to do so."

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

Kim promised to review the company's internal regulations regarding workplace harassment and take better care of artists.

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