Hanni Reveals Instances of HYBE ‘Bullying’ NewJeans: ‘The Company Disliked Us…’

During a recent session of the national assembly’s state audit, Hanni from NewJeans disclosed her perception of hostility from HYBE and recounted her experiences with workplace bullying.

On October 15, 20-year-old Hanni, who has Vietnamese-Australian roots, courageously participated in the National Assembly’s Environment and Labor Committee state audit as a witness, accompanied by Kim Joo Young, the new CEO of ADOR, who was there as a reference person.

Their testimony focused on bullying and harassment in the workplace, a subject Hanni brought up during a live broadcast the previous month.

Hanni Uncovers Experiences of Bullying by HYBE: 'They Disdained Us...' — (Photo : News1 National Assembly Photojournalism Team)

The conversation began when Hanni, the vocalist of “Ditto,”shared that a manager from ILLIT instructed her group to disregard her, which led to her feeling deeply hurt.

Following her livestream remarks, approximately 100 complaints were filed with the Ministry of Employment and Labor, escalating the matter into a public issue.

During her testimony, Hanni elaborated on the bullying incidents that not only she but also the members of NewJeans had encountered.

“This wasn’t a one-off situation. Since I debuted, I’ve met many senior officials, and none of them would acknowledge my presence. From my experiences in Korea, I’ve learned that older individuals tend to be more respectful regarding manners; thus, I perceived their lack of greeting as a fundamental rudeness—disrespecting me as a person, regardless of my career.”

“There was a unique environment within the company. It was vague, making it hard to discuss with anyone. Initially, I believed it was simply my personal sentiment, or that only those directly hurt could perceive it.

However, after witnessing the situation with the ILLIT manager I mentioned, I also stumbled upon comments by employees criticizing NewJeans on a platform called Blind. Additionally, I heard a recording of a manager from the PR division downplaying our Japanese debut’s success to attempt to create a reverse backlash.”