NewJeans’ Hanni didn’t hold back when she appeared at the National Assembly to talk about workplace bullying on October 15. But what really made waves was her claim that HYBE’s founder, Bang Si Hyuk, never returned her greetings. Hanni, aware of the cultural importance of respecting elders, was left feeling shocked and called Bang’s behavior rude.
While explaining why she decided to speak up, Hanni said that it’s something that could happen to anyone, not just herself, and that it shouldn’t ever happen again, so she decided to speak out. She thinks what Bang Si-hyuk did by ignoring their greetings is wrong, not because of… pic.twitter.com/iWSsEmqWY0
— 1tokki (@juantokki) October 15, 2024
During the hearing, Hanni also shared other instances of mistreatment, revealing that managers from different groups had instructed their artists to ignore her. In addition, the idol mentioned the lack of protection she felt from HYBE’s ADOR new CEO, Kim Joo Young.
Initially, Hanni and the other NewJeans members expressed their concerns about their working conditions during a YouTube livestream in September. While in their broadcast, the quintet demanded HYBE to reinstate their former CEO, Min Hee Jin.
Park Hongbae from Democratic Party of Korea:
— “Bang Si-hyuk, the chairman of HYBE, who caused the controversy, is not here. I think we need to realise the seriousness of the situation within the company, not just be huffing and puffing about it in the US.” pic.twitter.com/hbbLqbtf9W
— Kpop Charts (@kchartsmaster) October 15, 2024
The “Attention” singers also opened up about different disrespectful situations going on in their company. Following the online statements, Hanni was cited by the National Assembly and attended today, revealing the structural problems inside her workplace.
