NewJeans Mothers Claim “Belift Lab’s Statement is False, Security Guard Alleges Deletion of CCTV Footage Showing Artist Not Greeting Hanni”

The need to clarify the central issue was strongly emphasized.

In a recent interview with Ilgan Sports on October 8, the mothers of NewJeans members expressed their concerns, stating, “On October 7, Belift Lab issued a statement filled with inaccuracies. We requested that CEO Ju Young Kim, as the head of ADOR, directly address this matter. However, CEO Kim responded that issuing a statement based on the parents’ and Hanni’s explanations might provoke further disputes, creating a harmful cycle of responses. Thus, they opted not to release one.”

Earlier, in an emergency live broadcast held on September 11, Hanni shared an experience from a hallway in the HYBE building where she greeted another artist. When she met that artist again, their manager reportedly told them to “ignore her” . This led the National Assembly’s Environment and Labor Committee to name ADOR CEO Ju Young Kim as a witness in a parliamentary investigation regarding workplace bullying, with Hanni serving as a reference.

During the October 7 interview, the mothers of NewJeans members revealed that there is CCTV footage showing Hanni greeting someone, but the clip in which the manager allegedly instructed to “ignore her” was deleted. They criticized both ADOR and HYBE for their lack of decisive action to resolve the situation.

On the same day, HYBE, under Belift Lab, published a statement on their website asserting, “We strongly demand an immediate halt to the unfounded allegations that aim to damage our rookie artists through false claims regarding greetings, following baseless plagiarism accusations. The manager of ILLIT never instructed any NewJeans member to ‘ignore her’. When the video was reviewed in collaboration with former CEO Min Hee Jin on August 14, they asserted that the lack of a greeting occurred after this moment, implying there could be additional footage.”

Member mother A expressed, “Belift Lab’s assertion that this is an ‘innocuous greeting matter between labels’ completely overlooks the core issue. Hanni never complained about not being greeted; the concern lies with another artist’s manager telling them to disregard Hanni.”

She continued, “We have made attempts to solve this internally within the company. We did not disclose the label or artist publicly. However, Belift Lab’s misleading statement has harmed the reputations of NewJeans and our families.”

Another member mother, B, conveyed her annoyance, stating, “CEO Ju Young Kim mentioned they were taken aback by our interview since it was conducted without company consultation. Yet, we have repeatedly sought resolutions to this issue. Frustrated by the inaction, we agreed to the interview.”

B elaborated, “We also urged CEO Kim to publicly refute Belift Lab’s falsehoods, but he declined, citing worries about inter-label disputes. If the company won’t defend us against these inaccuracies, where else can we seek the truth?”

B asserted, “Our primary concern was never about casual greetings; it’s the unfair treatment that HYBE has exhibited toward NewJeans.”

Mother C reflected, “Before reviewing the CCTV on August 14, we had not seen any videos. The claim from Belift Lab that CEO Min’s side provided a new argument post-viewing is patently false. Furthermore, referring to it as ‘CEO Min’s side’ mischaracterizes the essence of the matter.”

She continued, “Initially, it was stated that only directly involved persons could access the CCTV footage, so Hanni and one manager viewed it together. How can they call it ‘Min Hee Jin’s side’? Outside of Hanni and that manager, no one else viewed it. Therefore, how could HYBE (Belift Lab) assert in their statement that Min Hee Jin’s side altered their position after viewing it?”

C remarked, “During that time, Hanni was particularly busy preparing for the Tokyo Dome fan concert and other activities in Japan. After completing her commitments in Japan, she managed to review the footage.”

“When we first highlighted the issue, we clearly stated it occurred when Hanni was alone. However, the video HYBE displayed to Hanni on August 14 showed her together with the ADOR manager and Danielle.”

“Upon viewing the footage, a security guard informed her that the clip showing the artist walking past without extending a greeting had been deleted, suggesting it wasn’t worth retaining since the greeting had occurred earlier. The guard appeared visibly shaken and could not maintain eye contact while explaining this to Hanni.”

C expressed disappointment that CEO Ju Young Kim had promised a thorough investigation into the matter after this was conveyed, yet Belift Lab’s official statement simply discussed footage featuring another artist greeting someone else.

C concluded, “This gives rise to suspicions that HYBE or Belift Lab may have deleted the footage to obscure the facts.”

Another member mother, D, added, “They maintain that after 30 days, CCTV footage cannot be retrieved. However, we never initially inquired about the CCTV; we felt reassured when they claimed to have footage, although we were still apprehensive that the footage might not encompass the full context.”

D expressed her frustration, stating, “They only displayed footage that doesn’t correlate with our described situation, then asserted the remainder was deleted after the retention period. It’s challenging to accept their explanation.”

D further pointed out the deceptive framing of the situation, saying, “Belift Lab referred to the entity responsible for reviewing and deleting the CCTV footage as a ‘security company’, misleadingly implying it was an external contractor. In reality, it was an internal HYBE department that made this decision. Such attempts to misrepresent even minor details are unacceptable.”

Currently, the mothers of NewJeans members feel that instead of acknowledging any errors or reflecting on their conduct, HYBE and Belift Lab are persisting in their attempts to downplay the seriousness of the situation. The mothers reiterated that their primary wish is to safeguard their children from such difficulties in the future, questioning why the agency continues to fabricate false narratives.

Source: Nate

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