At the latest hearing in the exclusive contract validity lawsuit at Seoul Central District Court, NewJeans‘s Hanni’s legal team pointed out a troubling inconsistency: the exit footage from a key incident is missing.
“We have footage of them entering, but why was the exit footage deleted?” asked NewJeans’ lawyers. “It makes Hanni look like a liar—how would the other members feel? How can she return to an agency that treats its artist as dishonest?”
Hanni’s Testimony from October 2024 in the Spotlight
This development connects to a statement Hanni made during a 2024 Environment and Labor Committee hearing, where she spoke out about workplace mistreatment in the idol industry.
“There’s a floor at the agency building for hair and makeup. I had finished earlier and was waiting in the hallway when another label’s members walked past me. We would usually greet each other, but 5–10 minutes later they passed again without saying anything. As they walked by, a manager told them, ‘pretend you didn’t see her—ignore her.’”
She added, “It wasn’t just once or twice. I still can’t understand why I had to experience that kind of environment.” After appearing in court, Hanni wrote on social media: “I remember it all clearly. I wanted to say it earlier in court, but I held back.”
ADOR Responds, Downplays the Incident
ADOR responded firmly, disputing Hanni’s claims and suggesting there was a misunderstanding.
“Hanni herself said the iLite members had greeted her. She said something like, ‘just pretend you didn’t know her.’ Min Hee-jin blew it out of proportion, asking ‘ignore her? Did they all ignore you?’ Hanni even said ‘I’m not sure.’ This was not a big deal.”
During footage reviews, Hanni was reportedly hesitant, giving a faint smile and briefly glancing at Danielle, hinting at the emotional complexity surrounding the matter. In a separate ruling from Seoul Central District Court’s Civil Division 52, the court granted ADOR’s request for a temporary injunction, prohibiting NewJeans members from engaging in independent or third-party entertainment activities until a verdict is reached in the contract case.
What Comes Next for NewJeans?
Each violation of the injunction carries a ₩1 billion KRW (approx. USD 729,000) penalty per member—meaning the total liability could rise to ₩5 billion KRW (~USD 3.7 million) if all five members breach the order. The group made headlines in March when they attended the injunction hearing as a full unit, having previously missed earlier sessions in the dispute.
As Hanni’s deeply personal testimony reemerges—and with the missing footage raising even more questions—the lawsuit is becoming a defining moment not just for NewJeans, but for broader discussions around artist treatment in the K-pop industry.
With the first-instance verdict pending, all eyes are on the court—and on whether reconciliation between the group and their agency remains possible.
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