Mothers of NewJeans allege HYBE security guard admitted to deleting video of Hanni's greeting incident

The controversy involving NewJeans member Hanni and her allegations of mistreatment by parent company HYBE has further intensified. The group members' mothers have reportedly claimed that a HYBE security guard admitted to deleting footage related to Hanni's incident. The singer had alleged that a manager of another group had asked them to ignore her in the HYBE building.

On October 10, 2024, a South Korean media outlet, Ilgan Sports, reported that the mothers of NewJeans members once again raised concerns regarding inaccuracies in Belift Lab's recent statements. This revelation follows earlier allegations that crucial CCTV footage of Hanni greeting a group (allegedly ILLIT), and being ignored, had been erased, sparking concerns of a possible cover-up.

The mothers had initially asked for the CCTV footage to be reviewed earlier, only to learn later that the footage had been deleted. In a recent interview, they claimed that their request for a corrected statement from Belift Lab (house to ILLIT) was denied, leaving them no choice but to speak out publicly again.

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More from the statement by NewJeans' members' mothers

The incident stems from an alleged comment by a manager of ILLIT, reportedly telling the artists to "ignore" Hanni and NewJeans. While Belift Lab denied the allegations in a statement issued on October 7, 2024, the NewJeans members' mothers insisted that the label’s account was inaccurate.

The mothers explained that despite the existence of the CCTV footage, the section showing the alleged "ignore" comment had been deleted, raising suspicions about whether HYBE and Belift Lab had deliberately removed the footage to obscure the facts.

Belift Lab has strongly denied these accusations, maintaining that a thorough investigation was conducted, confirming that no such comments were made. However, the mothers of NewJeans members remain unconvinced, pointing to inconsistencies in the agency's responses.

One mother expressed confusion over why the company would now claim that ADOR's leadership reviewed the footage, while only Hanni and her manager were initially allowed to see it. She further questioned why the narrative around the footage had shifted, adding to their suspicions of a cover-up.

Another mother disclosed that the involved HYBE security guard had admitted that the footage showing the encounter was deleted, as they felt the moment was insignificant and didn’t need to be preserved. She further criticized HYBE for attempting to distance itself from the decision, by framing it as an external security company's action, when the decision was made internally.

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The mothers later stressed that the issue is not solely about the greeting incident but about what they believe to be the broader unfair treatment of the girl group.