SEOUL   -  A member of the chart-topping K-pop group NewJeans has tearfully testified to South Korean lawmakers as part of an enquiry into workplace harassment. Hanni, who is 20 years old, alleged that the entertainment agency Hybe had deliberately undermined her band, and accused senior managers of deliberately ignoring her. Following multiple incidents, she said, “I came to the realisation that this wasn’t just a feeling. I was honestly convinced that the company hated us.”  After hearing her testimony, the CEO of NewJeans’ record label, Ador - a subsidiary of Hybe said she would “listen more closely” to her artists, adding: “I wonder if there was more I could have done.” Hanni, who is Vietnamese-Australian, was testifying to the Labour Committee of South Korea’s National Assembly at a hearing about workplace harassment. She was called to give evidence last month, after NewJeans went public with allegations about their treatment following the dismissal of their mentor Min Hee-Jin. Min, who co-founded Ador in 2021, has been a key figure in the band’s success but she was removed from her post in August, following accusations that she had planned to split from Hybe, taking NewJeans with her.  Min repeatedly denied those. Then, in September, NewJeans took the unusual step of going public with their dissatisfaction at the situation. Posting on a burner YouTube account, they demanded Min’s reinstatement and made claims of workplace harassment. In one incident, Hanni said that when she greeted the members of another band at their record label offices, a manager had instructed them to “ignore her”.

The singer said that when she reported the incident, her concerns had been brushed off. During her testimony, Hanni went into further detail about the exchange. “We have a floor in our building where we do hair and make-up.  And at that time, I was waiting in the hallway because my hair and make-up was done first.” As she waited, three singers from another band and their manager walked past., Hanni continued. “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’.   “I don’t understand why she would say something like that in the work environment,” she added.

Speaking at the National Assemblyin Seoul, Hanni said this was not an isolated incident, and claimed that senior members of Hybe management had also given her the cold shoulder.

“Since my debut [in NewJeans], we ran into a person in a high-up position many times, but they never greeted me when I greeted them,” she said.

“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.”