“How convenient”- Fans outraged over reports of deleted CCTV footage in NewJeans’ Hanni’s greetings controversy

The controversy surrounding NewJeans member Hanni’s allegations of mistreatment within the company has taken a new turn, sparking outrage among fans. On October 7, 2024, reports emerged from a South Korean media outlet, Ilgan Sports, revealing concerns raised by the mothers of NewJeans members.

The mothers criticized HYBE, alleging that CCTV footage relevant to the case had been deliberately deleted, fueling suspicions of a cover-up. One mother of a NewJeans member emphasized that they had asked for the CCTV review months ago, only to be told later that the relevant footage had been deleted.

The issue gained further momentum when it was revealed that the person responsible for the deletion had already resigned from the company. Fans and parents were not satisfied with this explanation, accusing the company of deflecting responsibility. A user on X, @juantokki wrote,

"It was confirmed that a now "resigned" employee had deleted the footage. Hmm... how convenient."

"So they automatically delete CCTV footage after 30 days… well that’s no issue because they got cloud backup remember? They even manage to recover MHJ’s PRIVATE Katalk from last year so there should be no issue recovering the footage. It’s an important piece of evidence afterall," a user commented.

"Man, how evil can they be," a fan remarked.

"Such a shady cover up like some kdrama bs, and some Government Agencies," another person wrote.

"this is really pissing me off bc it would actually cost nothing for hybe to properly investigate any of these incidents and reprimand the people involved but theyd rather show that they don't gaf," a fan wrote.

Fans have also raised serious concerns about HYBE's explanation, pointing out a major contradiction. They questioned how the company was able to review the CCTV footage following Hanni's initial allegations if the video had indeed been deleted.

"hybe a while after hanni revealed this situation they said they checked the images and claimed there was nothing strange, but if they delete the records after 30 days then how the hell did they see this recording? Caught in a lie once again," a user commented.

"When they stop this nonsense," another user remarked.

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More from the latest updates of NewJeans, ADOR, and HYBE's ongoing feud

The controversy initially unfolded during an urgent YouTube live broadcast by NewJeans members on September 11, in which Hanni shared that she and her fellow members had been struggling with issues inside the company. This stemmed from ongoing tensions between HYBE and ADOR, the label that manages NewJeans, following a fallout with ADOR's former CEO, Min Hee-jin.

As per Ilgan Sports, according to the members' mothers, the label claimed that crucial CCTV footage was missing, raising serious doubts about the company’s investigation. The mothers voiced their frustration, questioning how only footage of Hanni greeting other artists remained, while the more contentious footage was gone.

The mothers of the members of NewJeans questioned why the security team could not recover the footage, especially considering the company’s scale and resources. The mothers also recounted their ongoing struggle to get answers from HYBE and ADOR. In a recent meeting, they raised the issue again but were met with unsatisfactory responses.

One mother of a NewJeans member lamented that despite repeated attempts to address these concerns, little had been done over the past few months, leaving them increasingly worried about their children’s well-being.

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A HYBE representative responded to the allegations, stating that the company is currently conducting a thorough investigation into the issue. Fans continue to wait for a resolution to the ongoing internal conflict within the label.