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On Wednesday, February 12, it was revealed that NJZ's Hanni (formerly known as NewJeans) was aided by the Democratic Party representative Park Ji-won for her visa extension.
As per South Korean media outlet Herald Economy, Democratic Party lawmaker Park Ji-won addressed the matter in a blog post, where he explained that he had raised the issue during a plenary session of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee.
His blog post read:
"This morning, at the Judiciary Committee, we questioned Acting Minister of Justice Kim Seok Woo, and I would like to thank the Director-General of Immigration at the Ministry of Justice for swiftly processing and issuing the visa."
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This statement followed speculation regarding the visa under which NJZ's Hanni was working and staying in South Korea. The idol is the only foreign member of the K-pop girl group and was working with an E-6 visa, which reportedly expired in January 2025.
Given that the idol is required to be employed for her visa to be extended, the recent departure of NewJeans members from ADOR and the current lack of employment led to speculations on Hanni's visa validity. However, her parents released a statement expressing that she had already obtained the extension through legal procedures.
NJZ's Hanni's parents release statement explaining the idol's visa situation
In September 2024, following the removal of Min Hee-jin as CEO of ADOR, the NewJeans members initiated an emergency livestream to highlight the alleged mistreatment and mismanagement they faced under the agency's new management. They demanded the reinstatement of Min Hee-jin as ADOR's CEO.
In November 2024, they released a 14-day ultimatum for ADOR, listing a series of actions from the agency. However, after the 14-day period ended without ADOR meeting their demands, the members announced their departure from the agency. As of February 7, 2025, NewJeans announced their rebranding as NJZ, a group that will be functioning independently of ADOR.
Despite this, ADOR filed a lawsuit against the members to challenge the validity of their contract with NewJeans. The first hearing is scheduled for April 3. One issue that arose from NJZ's current independent status is Hanni's E-6 visa. As a dual citizen of Australia and Vietnam, the idol is reportedly only allowed to stay and work with employment in South Korea.
Following speculations about the alleged expiration of the idol's visa, her parents released a statement through the group's new Instagram account, @njz_pr, clarifying that she was legally provided with a visa extension. The statement from the parents read:
"Hanni has already legally obtained a new visa yesterday (February 11) through the proper procedures. ADOR pressured both Hanni and her parents by exploiting the sensitive issue of visas, which is a major concern for foreign residents in Korea."
The statement continued:
"They demanded that she sign an extension agreement listing ADOR as her agency and sent emails warning that refusing to sign could result in illegal residency. Furthermore, they submitted personal documents requiring her signature to relevant establishments without her consent and only informed her afterward. These actions are incomprehensible by common standards."
As a result, rumors regarding the idol's alleged visa expiration have been settled since the release of this statement.
