NewJeans Hanni, Workplace Bullying Controversy and the Impact of the Ministry of Employment and Labor’s Judgment

Recently, NewJeans’ Hanni has been embroiled in a workplace bullying controversy, drawing public attention. The Ministry of Employment and Labor concluded the case by stating that Hanni is “difficult to be regarded as a worker under the Labor Standards Act,” raising attention to how this decision might affect the conflict between NewJeans and their agency, ADOR.

Hanni testified at the National Assembly’s Environment and Labor Committee inspection last October, bringing the issue of workplace bullying to the forefront. Hanni reported being told to “ignore it” by a group manager and accused them of the incident, with fans demanding the truth be uncovered. However, the Ministry of Employment and Labor judged that Hanni could not be regarded as a worker under the Labor Standards Act, administratively closing the case. This conclusion was based on the characteristic of management contracts, where Hanni is in an equal contractual relationship with the employer, and the nature of profit-sharing is strong.

Meanwhile, NewJeans issued an ultimatum to their agency, ADOR, in light of Hanni’s case. They demanded an official apology from the manager and the reinstatement of former representative Min HeeJin, expressing a firm stance to terminate their exclusive contract if these demands were not met. ADOR stated it would “resolve the issue wisely,” but the likelihood of NewJeans’ demands being accepted seems low.

This incident has sparked a social discussion on the contractual relationships between celebrities and their agencies and the status of workers. In the labor sector, there are claims that celebrities should also be recognized as workers under the Labor Standards Act, with interest focusing on whether Hanni’s case will be a catalyst for such changes. It is a critical moment to observe whether the labor status of entertainers will be broadly recognized and how NewJeans’ future actions will unfold.

This article has been written by Kpopmap AI writer and while we have made efforts to ensure the accuracy of the article, there may be errors or inaccuracies.