Hanni from the chart-topping K-pop girl group NewJeans has shared her experiences with alleged workplace bullying and systemic discrimination within HYBE Labels, the parent company of her agency Ador.
The 20-year-old Vietnamese-Australian member, whose real name is Hanni Pham, took the stand in front of the National Assembly’s Environment and Labor Committee held on Tuesday, to testify on the alleged incidents in the entertainment industry.
The incident came to light during a YouTube livestream on Sept. 11 uploaded to a burner account where Hanni claimed that a manager of one of HYBE’s subsidiary groups instructed its artists to “ignore her.”
“We have a floor in our building where we do hair and makeup and, at that time, I was waiting in the hallway because my hair and makeup was done first,” Hanni shared during the televised hearing, as per British broadcasting company BBC.
“I said hello to all of them, and then they came back about five or 10 minutes later. On her way out, [the manager] made eye contact with me, turned to the rest of the group, and said, ‘Ignore her like you didn’t see her’,” BBC quoted Hanni’s recallment of the incident.
Responding to questions during the audit, the NewJeans member expressed disbelief at the manager’s alleged remark, saying, “I don’t understand why she would say something like that in the work environment.”
She shared her concerns, stating that she felt compelled to address the issue to prevent others in the industry from facing similar treatment.
“This has happened more than once … I know that if I don’t speak up, the issue will quietly fade away. I came forward because I don’t want anyone else in the industry — whether they are seniors, juniors, peers or trainees — to go through the same thing,” explained Hanni.
Hanni also detailed other instances where senior HYBE executives failed to acknowledge her.
“Since my debut, we ran into a person in a high-up position many times, but they never greeted me when I greeted them,” she tearfully said in her testimony.
“I understood from living in Korea that I have to be polite to older people and that’s part of the culture – but I think it’s just disrespectful as a human being to not greet us, regardless of our professional status.”
“There was a certain vibe [of disrespect] that I felt within the company,” she described how she felt towards their workplace environment.
Hanni also mentioned witnessing some HYBE employees attempting to downplay the group’s achievements.
“At first, I thought it was just my personal feeling. But then I saw HYBE employees criticize us on Blind (an online workplace platform). I also heard a recording of a member of HYBE’s PR team trying to downplay our debut in Japan and our success. That’s when I realized the negative atmosphere wasn’t just a feeling — it was real.”
“I was honestly convinced that the company hated us,” she added.
Ador’s new CEO Kim Ju-young (replacing NewJeans’ mentor, Min Hee Jin) who was also present during the Korean hearing, also took the stand to respond to the allegations.
“We took necessary measures such as consulting the staff at the label regarding the manager in question. We received the answer that no such thing took place,” Korea JoongAng Daily quoted Kim’s response to Hanni’s complaint.
“I took the best possible measures, such as asking whether we could restore the surveillance footage,” stated Kim.
“But the situation is regretfully seeing two conflicting claims from the two parties. I believe Hanni’s words, and I have been trying to find a way to prove her claims but we have unfortunately failed to do so.”
Hanni, on the other hand, revealed that when she initially reported the issue, Kim dismissed it, saying there was no evidence, despite the existence of CCTV footage.
“I checked the footage and it only included an eight-second clip. The rest — about 50 minutes — was missing,” Hanni said. “When I asked why, (Kim’s) explanations kept changing throughout the meeting. At one point, she even said the video had been deleted.”
Hanni further told lawmakers that she does not fully understand Korean as a foreigner, saying, “So I recorded the meeting to avoid missing important details. I have proof that they lied.”
Kim responded that she “believes Hanni’s claims” and has been trying to verify them, but the evidence remains “inconclusive”, South-Korean news site The Korea Times quoted.
“The manager involved is from another HYBE subsidiary, not Ador,” Kim claimed. “We have requested confirmation from that label’s artists and staff. Afterward, we took every possible step, including attempting to retrieve the CCTV footage, though it had expired.”
Kim also admitted as per BBC that she could have handled the situation better, saying, “I believe I did everything I could, but seeing that Hanni felt this way and that the situation escalated to this point, I wonder if there was more I could have done.”
The Ministry of Employment and Labor is currently investigating the allegations involving Ador and HYBE which was prompted by a complaint filed by a NewJeans fan after the group’s members aired their grievances towards HYBE on their YouTube livestream.
Kim assured, “Given that the claims from both sides differ, it is important to clarify the facts. We will cooperate fully with the ongoing labor ministry investigation to uncover the truth.”
However, according to The Korea Times, a key issue is whether NewJeans members qualify as employees under the Labor Standards Act.
HYBE, through Kim as its representative, maintained that artists are not classified as employees and thus are not covered by the Act, affirming, “There is ongoing discussion about whether artists should be considered employees, but for now, they are not.”
Aside from NewJeans, HYBE Labels is also home to popular K-pop acts including BTS, SEVENTEEN, and LE SSERAFIM, among others.
Hanni’s allegations have raised questions about whether artists under entertainment companies should receive the same legal protections as employees.
Nonetheless, the member stressed the importance of basic human respect to mitigate workplace harassment, beyond just legal solutions.
“I’m grateful to the National Assembly for providing this opportunity,” she said. “While laws alone cannot resolve all the issues, a basic respect for each other as human beings could significantly reduce problems of workplace harassment and bullying.”
“I hope trainees don’t suffer these incidents and that’s why I decided to appear,” Reuters quoted Hanni’s emotional plea.
“I know it’s not going to solve all the problems in the world, but if we just respect each other, at least there will be no problems with bullying and harassment in the workplace.”
