On December 20, industry sources revealed that Individual A filed a report titled “Deportation application of illegal resident Phạm Ngọc Hân (Hanni’s real name)” through the immigration crime reporting system of the Office of Immigration and Foreign Policy of the Ministry of Justice.
Hanni found herself in a difficult situation regarding her visa status after unilaterally notifying ADOR of the termination of her contract on 28 August. While Danielle, one of the five members, has dual citizenship in Korea and Australia, Hanni, who has dual citizenship in Australia and Vietnam, is legally considered a foreigner and must renew his visa every year.
This created a dilemma. Although Hanni says his contract with ADOR has expired, he is currently in Korea on a visa issued through ADOR. This implies that he indirectly recognizes the validity of his exclusive contract and of ADOR as his agency.
If Hanni’s request to terminate her contract had been granted, her contract would have expired on August 29, leaving her without an agency and invalidating the visa issued through ADOR. According to immigration laws, Hanni was supposed to return his registration card and leave Korea by September 13, 15 days after his request to terminate his contract. According to her, this technically makes her an illegal resident as of now.
The Immigration Act allows a change of job on your existing visa, but this requires the consent of the previous agency. Given ADOR’s assertion that the exclusive contract with NewJeans remains valid, they are unlikely to give such consent.
Under current laws, foreign citizens who wish to work as entertainers in Korea must have an agency and obtain an E-6 (entertainment) visa under the sponsorship of the company. To obtain this visa, several documents are needed, including an exclusive contract with a registered entertainment agency, the agency’s registration certificate, a letter of guarantee from the agency representative and a job recommendation from the Minister of Culture, the Sports and Tourism.
The E-6 visa essentially ties the entertainer’s business to the sponsoring agency. Accordingly, using a visa obtained through ADOR to conduct individual business or work with another agency would be a violation of the law.
Hanni’s activities in Korea are not entirely impossible in the future. If he obtains a new E-6 visa in a timely manner, he will be able to resume his career in the country. However, this process, including acquiring necessary documents such as employment recommendation from the Minister of Culture, may take 2-3 months, during which you would not be able to engage in any entertainment activities in Korea. If the five members’ claims are correct, this suggests that group activities for the NewJeans would be challenging for the time being.
Some speculate that rumors that the families of the five members have founded a new agency stem from the urgent need for a new affiliation to address these issues.
Industry experts report that the visa issued to Hanni through ADOR will expire early next year. In this regard, ADOR stated: “As the exclusive contract with NewJeans remains valid, we are preparing the necessary documents for visa renewal according to the procedure.”
