Hanni of NewJeans calls for better treatment of artists | ABS-CBN News

K-pop star, Hanni, a member of the group NewJeans, made an emotional appeal on Tuesday (October 15) 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 on companies to protect their artists better.

Her testimony in South Korea's parliament is a rare appearance by a major K-pop star to address bullying in the industry.

The group itself has been caught in the middle of a clash between executives of its parent powerhouse label HYBE and 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 being 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 are home to 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 also face other pressures since they are often held to impossibly high standards for their behavior and face expectations to maintain a squeaky-clean public image, including sometimes being discouraged to have partners.

(Production: Sebin Choi, Hyunyoung Yi)

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