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On October 15, 2024, NewJeans' Hanni and ADOR's CEO Kim Joo-young appeared in front of the National Assembly to testify against bullying and workplace harassment. Subsequently, the CEO's statement on respecting workers' human rights has been gaining attention.
ADOR's CEO Kim Joo-young stated:
"I understand that artists are not considered workers. However, whether they are workers or not is not important. Since our company works closely with artists, it is very important for artists and members to respect each other and collaborate."
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The idol's appearance at the National Assembly was in relation to the YouTube live held by the NewJeans members on September 11, 2024. During the live, Hanni said a manager of another HYBE artist asked them to ignore her. She claimed that when she escalated the matter to ADOR's CEO, Kim Joo-young, it was not taken seriously.
"I don't think you did your best": NewJeans Hanni expresses disagreement with ADOR's CEO
NewJeans' Hanni appeared in front of the National Assembly, addressing the issue of workplace bullying, while ADOR's CEO Kim Joo-young appeared as a witness. She stated that the incident she mentioned during the group's livestream in September was not an isolated event.
"This wasn't the first or second time. If I hadn't come out here today, it would have passed quietly and I thought it would be buried, so I came out (to testify)."
CEO Kim Joo-young responded by stating that she had taken all the measures within her capacity, such as checking whether the expired CCTV footage of the incident could be restored. She also stated that she believes in Hanni's claims and has been looking for evidence but has not been able to secure it.
However, the Hype Boy singer expressed her disagreement with ADOR's CEO and said:
"Sorry, but I dont't think you did your best! (...) You keep saying you’ll protect us, but if you really want to, you have no choice but to fight for us. Yet, you don’t fight for us, and there’s no real action, so I don’t believe you did your best."
She also claimed that HYBE CEO Bang Si-hyuk ignored their greetings, which she considered wrongful and disrespectful.
Lastly, she concluded her statement by saying that workplace harassment would not exist if everyone was respected as a human. The singer also stated that through her appearance at the National Assembly, she would like to cultivate a better work environment for her peers, seniors, juniors, and even trainees.
She requested people to come forward and take accountability for their actions without dodging. NewJeans Hanni has become the first K-pop idol to appear as a witness at a state audit. The Vietnamese-Australian K-pop idol mentioned that the Australian Embassy in South Korea has also contacted her parents.
Earlier this month, the mothers of NewJeans members held interviews to release joint statements regarding Belift Lab's alleged false statements regarding the singer's statements of a manager instructing fellow HYBE artist to ignore her.
