South Korea picks NewJeans’ Hanni to testify on workplace bullying

NewJeans member Hanni has been asked to testify at a South Korean National Assembly audit on workplace bullying.

The Environment and Labor Committee is summoning Hanni and 34 other individuals, including Ador CEO Kim Ju-young, for the audit scheduled on Oct. 25. The inquiry follows Hanni’s allegations made during a YouTube livestream with fellow NewJeans members on Sept. 11, where she recounted an incident in which a manager from another group instructed artists to ignore her greetings. While she reported the incident to Kim, the latter allegedly dismissed it.

“Seeing her ignoring the issue made me feel like there was no one to protect us [NewJeans],” Hanni said.

The committee, led by Rep. An Ho-young, aims to address harassment issues and the responses of industry leaders like Kim, who faces scrutiny over her handling of such complaints. Hanni, as a reference witness, is not required to testify. Kim, on the other hand, is obliged to attend as an official witness.