"Hani's Visa Information Leak Allegation"... Pop Culture Critic Files Police Complaint Against NewJeans Agency

"Leaking Hani's Visa-Related Personal Information"
"Attempt to Brand Her as an Illegal Immigrant"

Adore, the agency of girl group NewJeans, is set to undergo a police investigation on suspicion of leaking the visa information of Hani, a Vietnamese-Australian member of NewJeans.

On July 28, pop culture critic Kim Seongsu held a press conference in front of Yongsan Police Station in Seoul and announced that he had filed an official complaint against Adore and its employees for violating the Personal Information Protection Act.

ADORE, the agency of girl group NewJeans, is under police investigation for allegedly leaking visa information of Hani, a Vietnamese-Australian member of NewJeans. Photo by The Asia Business Daily DB.

Critic Kim asserted that Adore and related parties leaked Hani's visa-related personal information, which they had obtained in the course of business during an exclusive contract dispute, to the media and other outlets.

The official complaint states that Adore acquired Hani's personal information regarding her Artist Performance (E-6) visa type, expiration date, and status of visa extension documents in the course of business, and subsequently leaked this information to certain entertainment reporters, thereby violating the Personal Information Protection Act.

Critic Kim emphasized, "Adore attempted to exploit Hani's visa information in order to gain an upper hand in the dispute, trying to stigmatize her as an illegal immigrant."

The complaint also included as evidence an official statement from the parents of NewJeans members, which was announced on February 12 of the previous year. At the time, the members' parents raised concerns about privacy violations, stating that approximately 70 speculative articles regarding visa types and related matters were published over the course of two days.

Previously, Hani had declared the termination of her exclusive contract due to the agency's failure to fulfill its obligations, leading to a dispute, during which her existing visa expired. Subsequently, some entertainment media reported that, if Hani left Adore, she could potentially become an illegal resident, as the disappearance of her agency would result in her no longer meeting the requirements needed to issue a new visa.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.