NewJeans Hanni has recently won a civil lawsuit against malicious commenters who left derogatory remarks about her, according to legal sources on December 1. The Seoul Western District Court ordered each of the two defendants to pay 100,000 KRW in damages, roughly one year and four months after Hanni filed the suit.
Court Ruling on Insulting Comments
The controversy stems from comments left on October 15, 2024, following news coverage of Hanni’s appearance at a parliamentary audit. The defendants posted abusive remarks including personal attacks and derogatory terms. The court ruled that while critical opinions are permissible, the specific comments crossed the line into insulting and contemptuous personal attacks, causing genuine emotional distress.
Background of the Parliamentary Appearance
At the time, Hanni attended the National Assembly’s Environment and Labor Committee audit as a reference witness. She testified about workplace harassment amidst disputes between her former agency CEO Min Hee-jin and parent company HYBE, claiming she was told to “ignore” someone by a manager from a sibling label. Despite her public testimony, a separate workplace harassment complaint filed with the Seoul Western Labor Office was later dismissed on the grounds that she did not legally qualify as an employee under the Labor Standards Act.
