On the morning of July 28, cultural critic Kim Sung Soo held a press conference outside Yongsan Police Station in Seoul, announcing that he had filed a criminal complaint against ADOR and several of its employees for allegedly violating South Korea’s Personal Information Protection Act.

Kim claimed that employees responsible for handling Hanni’s residency and visa matters at ADOR disclosed personal information they had obtained through their work to outside parties.

According to the complaint, ADOR collected and processed information related to Hanni’s visa status while managing her activities and residency, including her visa type, expiration date, the progress of her visa extension application, and whether she had signed the required documents. Kim argued that this information was later disclosed through media reports citing “multiple music industry officials” between December 2024 and February of last year.

Kim further emphasized that details such as Hanni’s visa expiration date and the status of her extension application would normally only be known by immigration authorities, Hanni herself, and the agency handling her visa procedures. He argued that investigators should determine who within ADOR allegedly provided the information and how it was passed on to media outlets or other third parties.

Kim also submitted as evidence a statement released by the parents of the NewJeans members on February 12 of last year. At the time, the parents claimed that around 70 speculative news articles discussing Hanni’s visa type and expiration date had been published over two days, arguing that the reports violated her privacy and personal rights.

Some media outlets had previously reported that “ADOR prepared all of the necessary documents to extend Hanni’s visa, but Hanni reportedly refused to sign them.” Other reports claimed that if Hanni were to leave ADOR, she would no longer have an agency sponsor and therefore might not meet the requirements for maintaining an E-6 entertainment visa, potentially resulting in illegal residency.

Police plan to review the contents of the complaint and verify the facts before proceeding with their investigation.

Sources: Daum