K-pop star calls at parliamentary hearing for better treatment of artists

HYBE

15/10/2024 11:11

By Hyunsu Yim
       SEOUL, Oct 15 (Reuters) - K-pop star Hanni, a member of
the group NewJeans, made an emotional appeal on Tuesday for
young artists to be treated better in the multi-billion dollar
industry, as she relayed her experience of workplace bullying
during a parliamentary hearing.    
    For years the K-pop industry has been dogged by complaints
of high pressure and bullying, sparking calls for companies to
protect their artists better.
    "I hope trainees don't suffer these incidents and that's why
I decided to appear," the 20-year-old Vietnamese Australian
singer said during the televised parliamentary audit.
    Her testimony in South Korea's parliament is a rare
appearance by a major K-pop star to address bullying in the
industry.
    "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,"
Hanni said, choking back tears at times.
    The group itself has been caught in the middle of a clash
between executives of its parent powerhouse label HYBE
 352820.KS  and the former CEO of its subsidiary Ador, which
manages NewJeans. 
    The singer, whose full name is Hanni Pham, recounted to
parliament's labour committee how she had heard a manager
telling staff to ignore and pretend not to see the group when
she bumped into them in a corridor. 
    A series of actions at the workplace made the group feel
they were hated by the company, she said.
    Ador CEO Kim Ju-young told the parliamentary hearing that
she was reviewing the situation but has yet to find proof to
establish Hanni's claims. 
    HYBE has multiple labels that manage some of the biggest
K-pop stars, including BTS. 
    Earlier this year, former Ador CEO Min Hee-jin credited with
creating NewJeans accused HYBE of sabotaging the girl group. She
was later ousted from the label's CEO position.
    K-pop idols are often held to impossibly high standards for
their behaviour and face expectations to maintain a
squeaky-clean public image, including pressure from some fans
not to have partners.

 (Reporting by Hyunsu Yim
Editing by Ed Davies and Christina Fincher)
 ((Hyunsu.Yim@thomsonreuters.com;))