A troubling incident involving a malicious online comment directed at Hanni of NewJeans has ended without legal penalty, raising concerns about how the law treats insults and workplace claims in the K‑pop industry. According to the legal community, the Seoul Southern District Court’s Criminal Division 14 dismissed the prosecution against a netizen, known as “A,” who was indicted on charges of insult for posting a vulgar remark about Hanni.

On October 15 of last year, A left a comment on a news article related to Hanni: “This X, what are you talking and XX about? If you cry like a baby, what do you want me to help you with? Huh?” The comment was judged as insulting and A was indicted. However, before the case moved to sentencing, Hanni’s side reached a settlement with A and then withdrew the complaint—leading the prosecution to abandon the case.

Separately, Hanni had brought forward a complaint alleging workplace harassment by her agency. During a hearing of the National Assembly’s committee, she revealed tearfully that she had been deliberately ignored by a manager from her company’s affiliated label, describing how the issue had occurred “more than once.” The Ministry of Employment and Labor later decided not to pursue the case, explaining Hanni was not considered a worker under the Labor Standards Act because she was viewed as contractually independent, and the management company did not have a clear employment‑supervision relationship with her.

Taken together, both the insult case and the workplace harassment claim highlight two persistent issues in Korean entertainment law: the difficulty of classifying K‑pop stars as workers eligible for labour protections, and the challenge of pursuing criminal or administrative action when a settlement is reached between private parties. While Hanni’s voice drew public sympathy, the legal outcomes reflect structural limitations in how the industry and the law handle insults and internal agency disputes.

Sources: Daum