ADOR finally released an official statement about the bullying claims made by Hanni one day before the deadline by NewJeans ends.
The 20-year-old singer claimed bullying and unfair treatment faced by the group within HYBE in a livestream on YouTube on September 11. She claimed that a manager of a K-pop group under BELIFT LAB (ENHYPEN & ILLIT) asked the artists to “ignore” her when she greeted them.
Later, it was revealed that the incident happened in May and a member of ILLIT was involved. It is worth noting here that BELIFT LAB has denied these claims citing lack of evidence.
After NewJeans fans filed a petition with the Seoul Western Branch of the Ministry of Employment and Labor to request for investigation on the matter. As a result, Hanni along with new ADOR CEO Kim Joo Young testified at the National Assembly to address workplace bullying.
However, the case was closed as Hanni did not meet the criteria for a “regular” worker. Consequently, a “NewJeans/Hanni” act has been proposed to offer protection to “special workers.”
On November 27, ADOR, NewJeans agency released a statement in support of Hanni, stating, “Hanni clearly remembers that on May 27, a member of BELIFT LAB made a statement to the effect of ‘ignore her’ or ‘ignore and pass by her’.” ADOR continued, “We fully trust our artist’s words and sincerely regret the harm Hanni has suffered.”
The label added, “We have maintained a cautious stance until now, fearing that disputes over the facts might lead to unnecessary controversies regarding our artists. It is too harsh and strict to require Hanni to recall every detail of an incident that occurred in a relatively short time frame in order to raise issues, which is unfair to the victim.”
They continued, “We hope that BELIFT LAB will not take Hanni’s suffering lightly and will show mutual respect.”
ADOR has publicly sided with Hanni after she alleged that a manager told her to “ignore” her.
This move comes after the NewJeans members sent a certified letter to ADOR on November 13, demanding an official apology from the manager involved. The letter also stated that if the label failed to accept their demands, including corrective action, within 14 days, the group would terminate their exclusive contract. The deadline for ADOR’s response was November 28.
NewJeans has sent a certified letter to ADOR, calling for the return of former CEO Min Hee-jin. However, with Min Hee Jin’s recent resignation as internal director of ADOR, the spotlight is now on NewJeans’ next move.