ADOR has been reported to police on allegations that it leaked the personal information of Australian member Hanni related to her visa.
The Seoul Yongsan Police Station announced on the 28th that cultural critic Kim Seong-su had filed a criminal complaint against ADOR and its employees for allegedly violating the Personal Information Protection Act.
Press Conference on Filing a Criminal Complaint Against ADOR for Alleged Leakage of NewJeans Member Hanni's Personal Information
https://t.co/cVfcHbVGr4
- Kim Sung-soo, Cultural Critic
- Attorney Park Kang-hoon
To the respected people of Korea, and to the members of the press gathered here today,
We stand before you today with heavy hearts, but with an unwavering determination that we cannot and will not back down. Today, we are submitting a criminal complaint against ADOR Co., Ltd. and its executives and employees for alleged violations of the Personal Information Protection Act.
There was a young woman. An artist in her early twenties who came to a foreign country out of her love for Korean popular culture and, through nothing but her sincerity on stage, comforted the hearts of countless people. For her, a residency visa was not just a piece of paperwork, it was a lifeline that sustained her life in this country.
Yet that lifeline, her most sensitive and vulnerable personal information, was ruthlessly cast before the public by the very agency that was supposed to protect her.
The expiration date of a foreign resident's visa and the progress of any extension application are information known only to the immigration authorities, the individual concerned, and the agency handling the matter on the individual's behalf. Not even journalists could obtain access to such highly confidential internal information through ordinary reporting. So how could this top-secret information have found its way into the public domain behind the anonymous curtain of "multiple music industry officials"?
For a young woman in her twenties who came from another country, her agency was not merely a company. It should have been her only guardian in place of the parents who were far away, and the strongest shelter protecting her from the storms of the world. Instead, that very shelter invited the wolves inside, exposing her most vulnerable point to be torn apart.
Faced with this cruel betrayal, the agency stabbing an artist in the back after she entrusted them with her youth, we cannot help but ask, as fellow human beings:
What, exactly, was worth protecting that justified going this far?
This was not a simple case of negligence in which information accidentally leaked due to poor management. It was a deliberate and malicious act of exploiting an artist's greatest vulnerability to gain an advantage in a private legal dispute.
As the conflict over the exclusive contract intensified, visa-related information was leaked to the media in an attempt to neutralize the artist's position by creating the narrative that she was an "illegal immigrant."
The consequences were devastating.
Despite the fact that her visa remained valid, distorted reports flooded the media describing her as "currently an illegal immigrant." Dozens of articles even included the phrase "illegal immigrant" directly in their headlines. Eventually, reports were even filed with the authorities accusing her of being an illegal resident.
Can you imagine the overwhelming fear a young woman in her twenties must have felt when she woke up one morning in a foreign country to find the horrifying scarlet letter of "illegal immigrant" branded before her name?
A visa is not merely an administrative document. It is like an oxygen supply that allows someone to breathe, to step onto the stage they love and to meet the people who cherish them.
Yet the agency seized control of that oxygen line, even sending emails to the artist and her parents conveying the message that "if you do not consent, you could become an illegal resident," thereby placing them under pressure.
And what must her parents have felt, having sent their precious child alone to a distant foreign land?
They could do nothing but helplessly watch from across the sea as the dream their child had built through tireless effort, and, more importantly, their child's dignity, was stripped bare and torn apart.
Unable to bear the pain in her place or even rush to embrace her, they expressed their anguish through tears, stating:
"Speculative reports are even being published about the type of visa and its expiration date , personal information that there is no obligation to disclose, causing severe violations of our rights and interests."
The purpose of the Personal Information Protection Act is to protect individuals' freedoms and rights and to uphold their dignity and value.
An individual's right to informational self-determination, the right to pursue happiness guaranteed under Article 10 of the Constitution, and the right to privacy guaranteed under Article 17 are fundamental rights that no one has the authority to trample upon.
The foundation of the entertainment industry is trust between artists and the public. If the personal information of artists, who deserve the highest level of protection, can instead be turned into a weapon in a dispute, then this goes far beyond a private conflict between one agency and one artist. It gravely undermines trust in the healthy ecosystem of the entire popular culture and arts industry.
Those who actually carried out the information leak remain hidden behind the anonymous label of "multiple music industry officials." Their identities cannot easily be uncovered through ordinary administrative investigations or voluntary inquiries alone. Only compulsory investigative measures, such as searches and seizures and the examination of communications records, can clearly establish the source of the personal information leak, the route by which it spread, and the individuals responsible.
Accordingly, we earnestly request that the investigative authorities:
First, thoroughly determine the source and transmission route through which the personal information was provided to the media.
Second, identify the individuals responsible who remain hidden behind this veil of anonymity.
Third, hold the corporation accountable for its management and supervisory responsibilities so that personal information is never again weaponized as a tool in private disputes.
To the respected people of Korea,
The dream that a young woman carried to a foreign land must never be crushed in this way.
This is not merely the story of one idol standing beneath bright stage lights. It is the story of every young person in our time who devotes everything they have in pursuit of a better tomorrow. It is also the story of someone's beloved daughter.
If corporations wielding enormous capital and power are permitted to exploit an individual's vulnerabilities and trample upon their dignity, then there will be no young person left in our society who can safely dream without fear.
This criminal complaint is not simply about restoring one individual's reputation. It is about protecting the dignity and rights of everyone striving to pursue their dreams in this country.
We sincerely ask for the continued attention and support of the public and the media so that the truth may be revealed and justice may prevail.
Thank you.
An unofficial Instagram post by a Bunny commemorating NewJeans OT5 has reached almost 600K likes.
Despite corporate efforts to erase their image, fans continue to show unwavering love for all five members.
(https://t.co/eHdZDmMTAp)
"they need to apologize before they come back."
apologize for what?
why are newjeans, the very victims in this situation, being asked to apologize to the company responsible for this mess and the institutions who stood idle and did absolutely nothing when they were hurting?
Petition letter that was sent by NewJeans members to the court:
“Telling us to return to ADOR is like telling a school violence victim to go back to the place where the bully is. We don’t know how loud we have to scream for them to understand how painful this is”