On October 15, a report by IS Plus, a South Korean media outlet, indicated that Park Hongbae, a member of the Democratic Party, expressed his disappointment with Bang Si-hyuk, the chairman of HYBE Labels, for not attending the parliamentary audit session concerning NewJeans. During this session, Hanni of NewJeans shared her experiences related to the bullying allegations currently affecting the group.
HYBE Labels operates as the parent company of ADOR, which manages NewJeans. Consequently, both Bang Si-hyuk and ADOR CEO Kim Joo-young were criticized by Park Hongbae for their apparent failure to recognize the seriousness of the ongoing issues. According to a translation by Kpop Charts (@kchartsmaster), he stated during the proceedings:
“Bang Si-hyuk, the HYBE chairman who is at the center of this controversy, is absent. It’s crucial for all of us to grasp the seriousness of the situation within the company instead of merely discussing it in the US.”
Hanni of NewJeans Confirmed Her Presence at the National Assembly Audit on October 9
On October 9, Hanni made it known that she would participate as a witness at the National Assembly’s audit on workplace bullying. On Wednesday, she shared her decision through the fan networking application Phoning, stating,
“I will attend the audit by myself. This is for my own sake, for NewJeans, and for our fans.”
She highlighted that she independently made this decision without notifying her managers or ADOR. Alongside Hanni, ADOR’s CEO Kim Joo-young also provided testimony at the parliamentary audit to address inquiries about workplace bullying.
The participation of both Hanni and Kim Joo-young was prompted by remarks made by the NewJeans member during a YouTube stream on September 11. She recounted the following:
“I greeted another artist, but the manager told me to ‘ignore them.’ I don’t understand why we should have to deal with this.”
This online statement resulted in over 100 complaints filed with the Ministry of Employment and Labor’s Seoul Western District Office, transforming the matter from simple entertainment news into a significant social issue.
During the parliamentary discussion on October 15, Park Jung, another Democratic Party member, questioned the lack of supporting evidence for the “ignore them”incident, noting that only partial CCTV footage was obtainable. Kim responded by clarifying:
“It wasn’t that the footage was deliberately erased; it simply wasn’t retained and thus cannot be retrieved.”
When asked if there had been attempts to facilitate an apology between Hanni and the manager, Kim explained,
“The manager involved doesn’t belong to ADOR; they operate under a different label, and I appealed to that label’s CEO.”
This prompted Park to question the effectiveness of higher authority intervention in this situation. In response, Kim noted that since all labels function independently, enforcement of such matters becomes challenging.
Park Hongbae once again criticized HYBE’s Bang Si-hyuk for being absent at the National Assembly audit, subsequently questioning Kim Joo-young by stating,
“Are you still serving as HYBE’s Chief Human Resources Officer? You claim you’ve attempted mediation, yet the other label’s lack of cooperation, given that they are separate entities, raises serious questions.”
Kim emphasized that the label is working towards mediation, citing ongoing contradictory claims that remain unresolved. During the audit, she was also queried about whether artists are regarded as corporate employees. In her reply, she mentioned,
“The Respectful Behavior Code encompasses not only employees but also artists and external collaborators.”
This led Park to remark,
“HYBE’s regulations explicitly include both artists and employees as company members. Surely, artists are part of HYBE, correct?”
Kim agreed with Park’s perspective. Going forward, she acknowledged that if the “ignore them”comment was indeed accurate, it would constitute a violation of the regulations. Joo-young commented:
“We have established a Respectful Workplace (RW) Code and are undertaking various initiatives, yet it’s unfortunate that this incident has occurred. We will strive for improvements in the future.”
In related news, Min Hee-jin, the former CEO of ADOR, was dismissed on August 27, 2024, following allegations of attempting a hostile takeover to detach NewJeans and ADOR from HYBE. Hee-jin has since refuted the accusations against her.
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