According to “Women’s News”, the Ministry of Employment and Labor confirmed that it had received complaints from fans and advocacy groups that HYBE and ADOR violated labor laws, especially workplace harassment regulations .
The complaint filed with the Seoul Regional Employment and Labor Office concerns NewJeans’ recent live broadcast, in which members revealed incidents of negligence towards member Hanni. During the broadcast, the group expressed its desire for the return of former CEO Min Hee-jin and appealed to HYBE to restore ADOR’s management structure by September 25. A representative from the Ministry’s customer service center said: “As of September 13, over 100 complaints have been filed with keywords such as ‘ADOR’ and ‘NewJeans’.”
Fan A who filed a complaint noted the lack of protective legislation for underage idols in South Korea, hoping that this case can lead to meaningful change. A labor inspector informed A that the complaint had been officially accepted and that the investigation would continue according to protocol.
Labor activists, such as those from the civic group Workplace Gapjil 119, have pointed out that NewJeans members, having an exclusive contract and performing work under the agency’s supervision, should be considered employees under the Labor Standards Act, thus protected from harassment in the workplace.
HYBE, however, is facing a second equally significant controversy within the K-Pop industry due to an internal document leaked during an audit. This document reportedly contained disparaging comments about competing K-Pop artists, agencies, and fandoms. The revelations sparked industry outrage, with accusations that HYBE was belittling the entire K-Pop industry. Although CEO Lee Jae-sang apologized, claiming he had contacted the affected agencies, sources say no apology was actually received, fueling industry frustration.
The contents of the document have reportedly led to growing industry sentiment against working with HYBE, as rival agencies seek to protect their artists from potential disrespect in the future. The absence of further statements from HYBE or its president, Bang Si-hyuk, who allegedly approved the creation and distribution of the document, has only deepened mistrust and speculation about HYBE’s role in the scandal .
HYBE now faces significant pressure on multiple fronts, facing allegations of labor law violations while at the same time facing an industry-wide backlash that could threaten its standing and relationships within the K-Pop community .
Source: WomenNews, KrB
