NewJeans' Hanni to Testify on Workplace Bullying Before South Korean Parliament

Hanni, a 20-year-old member of the K-pop group NewJeans, has announced her decision to testify before the South Korean National Assembly’s Environment and Labour Committee in a workplace harassment inquiry set for October 15.

The Vietnamese-Australian star shared the news on October 9 through Phoning, NewJeans' online fan communication platform. "I've decided, I'm going to the National Assembly for the hearing. I'll go alone," she wrote, reassuring fans by adding, "Don't worry. I'm doing this for myself, my members, and for Bunnies (NewJeans' fans)... I'm not afraid. I want to go."

The inquiry, initiated by the committee’s chairman, aims to address issues of workplace harassment and bullying within the entertainment industry. Although Hanni was invited as a reference witness, she is not obligated to attend. However, she said the decision came after careful consideration, seeing it as a learning opportunity despite the uncertainty of the outcome. Ador's CEO, Kim Ju-young, has also been summoned as an official witness but has not confirmed her attendance.

Hanni’s decision follows a controversial live stream held by NewJeans on September 11, without the approval of their management, in which they urged Hybe to reinstate Min Hee-jin as CEO of Ador. Min, who oversaw NewJeans' debut, was removed from her position on August 27. During the 30-minute live stream, Hanni alleged that she was ostracized by staff at Hybe. She recalled greeting another K-pop group in a shared building, only to overhear their manager instructing them to ignore her.

"To say that in front of me, knowing I can hear it – why do I have to go through something like that? I don’t understand. I’m speechless," Hanni said. Although the group was not named during the live stream, media outlets later suggested it was the rookie girl group Illit, under Hybe's subsidiary, Belift Lab.

NewJeans’ members and their parents requested closed-circuit television footage of the incident, but Hybe denied Hanni's claims and said the footage had been deleted. The controversy is linked to a broader dispute between Min and Hybe, with allegations that Min had planned to split NewJeans from the parent company, which she denied. Min also accused Belift Lab of copying NewJeans with their newly debuted group, Illit.

On October 7, Belift Lab released a statement dismissing Hanni’s accusations as "baseless" and criticized the decision to call her as a witness in the inquiry. "Despite providing all necessary explanations, new and unverifiable claims are being made," the agency said, expressing concerns over the parliamentary audit involving an event "that never occurred."