NewJeans star Hanni breaks down before Seoul lawmakers: If we respect each other as human beings, there would be no workplace harassment- WATCH |

A member of chart-topping girl group NewJeans testified for South Korean lawmakers Tuesday as part of an enquiry into workplace harassment, amid a boardroom drama over her super producer.
In recent years, South Korea’s K-pop industry has become a global juggernaut powered by the success of groups like BTS, but domestically it is known for imposing strict standards and controls on fledgling stars.Rising K-pop idols are expected to adhere to their powerful agency’s behaviour and appearance guidelines, with many stars describing receiving extreme backlash from fans over perceived mistakes in their personal lives, for example dating.
Hanni, 20, who is Vietnamese-Australian, has spoken publicly about being bullied in the workplace, saying she overheard a manager linked to her agency’s parent company instructing other idols to “ignore” her. Recalling an incident where she felt marginalized during preparations for a performance at Busan University, she shared, “There is a floor in the HYBE building where we get our hair and makeup done. I finished early and was waiting in the hallway.” In her testimony, as reportedly by allkpop, Hanni explained that a female manager had instructed others to “just ignore her,” which left her feeling deeply unsettled. “This wasn’t a one-time occurrence. If I didn’t come forward, it would have been quietly overlooked. I came forward because I didn’t want anyone else to experience this,” Hanni added.Hanni also highlighted what she perceived as a lack of acknowledgement from high-ranking individuals, including HYBE Chairman Bang Si Hyuk. “In Korea, it’s part of the culture to show respect to your elders, and I understood that. But not acknowledging my greetings isn’t just unprofessional—it’s disrespectful as a human being,” she stated. She expressed that these experiences, coupled with incidents such as employees allegedly badmouthing NewJeans on an app and a PR team director undermining their success, contributed to her belief that the company held animosity towards the group.

In response, CEO Kim emphasized that HYBE promotes mutual respect and regularly conducts training to ensure a harmonious organizational culture. He acknowledged Hanni’s distress, saying, “I believe everything Hanni has said, and I have made efforts to find supporting evidence, but unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find anything yet.”
While he expressed regret over the incident, noting, “I did everything I could, but seeing that Hanni felt this way, I wonder if there was more I could have done,” Hanni disagreed, asserting, “I’m sorry, but I don’t think CEO Kim did his best. He promised to protect us, but it seems he has no will to fight for us or take action. I hope this issue is resolved quickly.”
Kim assured the committee that he would fully cooperate with the ongoing investigation by the Ministry of Labor to clarify the facts. He pledged to “listen more closely to the voices of our artists and strengthen communication.”

Towards the end of the session, Hanni became emotional and broke down. Expressing gratitude for the support she had received, she emphasized the need for accountability saying, “Some fans apologized for making us go through this, but I’m grateful to Korea for allowing me to do what I love. The ones who should be apologizing are avoiding responsibility, and that frustrates me,” she said tearfully. She concluded with a powerful message: “Through this experience, I’ve realized that while the law may not be able to solve all problems, if we respect each other as human beings, there would be no workplace bullying or harassment.”
Hanni wrote on a fan platform last week that she would attend the parliamentary hearing to discuss the alleged bullying.
The alleged event occurred amid a dispute between NewJeans’ producer and mastermind, Min Hee-jin, and HYBE, the South Korean agency that manages BTS, after HYBE filed a legal complaint against Min for breach of trust in business.

Min, who headed HYBE’s subsidiary ADOR which manages NewJeans, was replaced as ADOR’s president in August amid the boardroom conflict. During the live stream in which Hanni had raised the harassment claim, all NewJeans’ members demanded that Min be reinstated as ADOR’s CEO.
Multiple court cases on the issue are ongoing.
ADOR’s Min, who joined the industry in the early 2000s, is widely regarded as one of the most successful producers in the K-pop scene, having worked with stars such as Girls’ Generation, EXO and SHINee, among others.
NewJeans, produced by Min, is among HYBE’s most successful K-pop groups, alongside BTS, which is currently on a hiatus as some members perform South Korea’s mandatory military service. BTS member J Hope is scheduled to finish his military service this Thursday.