New Jeans Honey Going to the National Assembly Inspection… Recognition of Celebrity ‘Worker Nature’ is the Key

Girl group 'New Jeans' member Hani (Hani Farm) will appear as a witness at the National Assembly Environment and Labor Committee's state audit on the 15th. This comes amid allegations that New Jeans suffered discrimination, including bullying, amid the dispute between former agency CEO Min Hee-jin and Hive.

The so-called 'New Jeans bullying incident' has been reported several times to the Ministry of Employment and Labor, and the Seoul Western District Office has begun an investigation into the matter. The key issue is likely to be whether it constitutes 'workplace bullying' under the Labor Standards Act.

It seems likely that the National Assembly inspection of the Environment and Labor Committee will continue with questions about whether or not there was harassment that went beyond the appropriate scope of work-related harassment against Hani, who appeared as a witness. Also, on the same day, Hive Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) Kim Joo-young, who is also the successor to former CEO Min Hee-jin and is currently the CEO of Adore, was selected as a witness, so it is expected that the poor response to the issue will be mentioned.

On the 10th, Hani stated on the New Jeans fan communication platform Poning, "I've decided to run for the National Assembly. I'll be running alone for the state audit." She continued, "I decided to run for myself, the members, and the 'Bunnys' (New Jeans fandom). I thought about it a lot, but I think it's the right thing to do to run. I'll protect New Jeans and the Bunnys."

From the Ministry of Employment and Labor's investigation to the National Assembly's inspection of the Environment and Labor Committee, the 'worker status' of the New Jeans members is the key to establishing 'workplace bullying.' In order for the Labor Standards Act to have legal effect on workplace bullying, the standard is whether each member can be considered a worker.