KMA: "NewJeans Hanni 'Ignored' Incident = Unknown Guilty, Famous Innocent."

Kang-ho Choi, Secretary General of the Korea Music Content Association, has called for restraint in accepting any specific stance as fact regarding the NewJeans 'Ignore' incident until a legal judgment is made.

In a press conference held at the JW Marriott Hotel Seoul in Seocho-gu, Seoul, several associations, including the Korea Management Federation, Korea Entertainment Producers Association, Korea Music Label Industry Association, Korea Music Industry Association, and Korea Music Content Association, raised concerns about the negative impact of tampering on K-pop. The event was titled 'No K-pop Without Record Producers!'

During the conference, Secretary General Choi addressed the issue raised by NewJeans member Hani regarding the 'Ignore' remark. He stated, "The agency manager allegedly said 'ignore.' NewJeans' Hani wants an apology for this, while the manager denies making the statement, leading to conflicting positions."

Choi further explained, "The relationship between an agency and an artist is not that of employer and employee. Our industry is built on the collaboration between individual artists and corporate agencies, sharing both successes and challenges."

He continued, "We do not yet know the truth of this incident, and we do not wish to claim anyone's fault here. However, it is often the case that the famous are presumed innocent while the unknown are presumed guilty. Just because someone is well-known, their claims should not be accepted as fact before a court's decision. We should also listen to the manager involved."

Choi raised concerns about the protection of agency staff from malicious comments and personal attacks, questioning, "Who can protect agency employees from such abuse?" He urged, "Consider the position of those who endure indiscriminate attacks from some extreme fans simply because they are perceived to be in conflict with the artist. We need to reflect on who the true social underdogs are and be ready to hear their voices."

Previously, NewJeans' Hani claimed that she was told to "ignore" by a manager, alleging workplace harassment within HYBE. A fan filed a complaint with the Labor Office to investigate the harassment claims, but it was dismissed due to the difficulty in classifying Hani as an employee under the Labor Standards Act.

Min-kyung Lee, TenAsia Reporter 2min_ror@tenasia.co.kr