NewJeans Hanni's 'should not happen to seniors, juniors...' statement backfires; fans ask why is she supporting her colleague’s mistreatment

While 22 people were killed — including 18 Chinese nationals — in a massive fire at a lithium battery factory, and Hanwha Ocean was banned from operation for a month due to violations of 61 regulations, the South Korean National Assembly Environment and Labor Committee chose not to address these critical issues. Instead, they invited K-pop idol Hanni of NewJeans to speak on workplace bullying during a state audit. The artist attended the hearing alone, and while her statements were not new—having been discussed by her and her group before—they shed light on HYBE's founder Bang Si Hyuk and the neglect she experienced.

ALSO READ | Why are NewJeans fans targetting ILLIT for their Paris Fashion Week 2024 appearance?

However, one of her statements seemed to backfire. She mentioned that she came to speak out so that bullying would not continue to affect colleagues, seniors, juniors, or trainees. This prompted fans of groups affected by her former CEO Min Hee Jin to question why she was siding with someone who had bullied many—her juniors ILLIT and her seniors Le Sserafim and others—during the HYBE vs. Min Hee Jin feud.

ALSO READ | NewJeans ready to leave HYBE? Girls give agency 2-week ultimatum to restore Min Hee Jin as ADOR CEO

Hanni said, "I talked about the incident on a live broadcast with the NewJeans members previously. While getting my hair and make-up done, I greeted a member of another team, and when I came out again, their manager told them to ignore me as if they hadn't seen me. I don't understand why I had to face this, and I don't understand why such things were said in a working environment. I came today because I know that if I didn’t, this topic would be buried, and these types of things may continue happening in the future. I believe this should not happen to colleagues, seniors, juniors, or trainees."

Fans from various groups took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to ask her when she would show support for the groups being harassed due to her former CEO. Many expressed confusion over why the girls seem determined to bring Min Hee Jin back as CEO, despite HYBE stating it won’t happen.

Currently, while politicians have shown one-sided support for Hanni, this has not sat well with many Koreans who wanted an unbiased state audit. Some were even angered to see her taking selfies with the CEO of Hanwha Ocean, who was fined around 300 million won for the deaths that occurred in his organization.

However, she and NewJeans fans have been showing their relentless support to the girls, with many hoping either the members leave HYBE or get the proper treatment they deserve.

HYBE vs Min Hee Jin:

It all started in April 2024, HYBE Corporation initiated an internal audit of former ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin after uncovering her alleged plans to take control of ADOR and NewJeans and leave HYBE. The company filed a criminal lawsuit against her for breach of contract and disclosure of company secrets, demanding her resignation.

After months of drama, a recent court hearing led to mutual accusations: Min claimed HYBE copied NewJeans to create ILLIT, while HYBE accused Min of seeking a new investor to sever ties. On September 13, Min filed for an injunction to hold an extraordinary shareholder meeting and reinstate herself as CEO. 

ADOR's board removed her as CEO on August 27, appointing Kim Ju-young as the new chief. While ADOR offered to keep Min on the board on September 25, they refused to reinstate her as CEO, which she dismissed as "a disguise." The court will accept additional evidence until October 25 and plans to issue a ruling by the end of the month. Min's board term is set to expire on November 2 without extension.

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