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.
오늘 버니즈들을 대신해서 어도어와 성명불상의 개인정보 유출자를 고발하러 용산경찰서로 갑니다. 오전 10시 짧게 기자회견문 낭독과 고발장 제출을 할 예정이고 곧바로 간단한 기자간담회를 인근 카페에서 할 예정입니다. 민감함 개인정보를 유출해서 아티스트를 좌표찍는 행위는 사이버불링입니다
What’s going to change? Maybe nothing. Maybe a lot. No one can promise immediate results, and expecting change overnight is foolish. That’s not how boycotts, or any form of collective action, work.
Doing nothing is always worse.
I mean, are we supposed to only do something if change is guaranteed?
We know what HYBE and ADOR have done. We know everything NewJeans has been put through. We know what ADOR is doing to Danielle right now. Our responsibility as fans is to make it clear that we do not condone any of it. Our boycott is a message: we want justice for what was done to NewJeans, and we refuse to stay silent while ADOR targets Danielle.
Pretending nothing happened just because ADOR keeps feeding us content would be the most heartless thing we could do.
And let’s stop pretending the girls are back at ADOR because they wanted to be. They’re there because they were forced to be. Had they not lost the contract validity case, they would have been out of HYBE and ADOR without hesitation. They fought to leave. They put their careers on the line for that. The least we can do is not reward the company they were forced back into.