The workplace harassment complaint involving NewJeans member Hanni and HYBE has been officially concluded.

On November 20, the Seoul Western District Labor Office stated that a complaint filed by NewJeans fans alleging Hanni was a victim of workplace harassment could not be pursued under the Labor Standards Act. They explained, "It is difficult to view Hanni as a worker under the Labor Standards Act."

The labor office clarified that the management contract between Hanni and her agency was not based on an employer-employee relationship where services are provided in exchange for wages. Instead, it was determined to be a relationship between equal contractual parties fulfilling mutual obligations.

Additional factors were cited to support this decision, including:

• Hanni is not subject to company employment rules or internal systems that apply to regular employees.
• She does not have fixed working hours or a set workplace and cannot be required to adhere to a standard schedule.
• Both the company and Hanni jointly cover costs related to her entertainment activities.

These findings align with a 2019 Supreme Court ruling that entertainment contracts are considered delegated agreements under civil law, not employment contracts. As a result, entertainers are not classified as employees under the Labor Standards Act and are not covered by the workplace harassment provisions.

The complaint was sparked by an incident Hanni revealed during a live broadcast in September. In the broadcast, she shared her frustration over interactions at HYBE’s building.

Hanni stated, "On the 4th floor of HYBE’s building, there’s a space for hair and makeup. It’s a busy area with many artists and employees coming and going. I was waiting alone in the hallway when another artist and their manager walked by. I greeted them, but I overheard them saying, ‘Ignore her.’ I saw and heard everything. I couldn’t understand why I had to go through that—it was so shocking."

She added, "I brought it up to the new CEO, but since there was no evidence and it was too late, they tried to move on. It felt like there was no one left to protect us. I realized there was no consideration for us. Even though I spoke up honestly, I felt like I was suddenly being seen as a liar. Min Hee Jin fought a lot for us."

While the incident stirred concern among fans, the labor office’s findings concluded that Hanni’s situation falls outside the scope of labor laws, given her status as an artist rather than an employee.

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Yoo Yeon Seok and Chae Soo Bin’s When the Phone Rings has issued an apology for the recent controversy surrounding the mockery of sign language.

On November 29th, the drama’s production team released a statement on the viewer’s board addressing the issue. The statement began by saying, “We take the criticism about the improper handling of sign language very seriously, especially as it led to the mockery of the Deaf community and Korean sign language.”

They went on to clarify, “The drama’s theme centers around ‘communication’ between people, and there was absolutely no intention to mock or belittle sign language, which is a vital communication tool for the Deaf community.”

However, the production team admitted, “We humbly acknowledge that we did not give enough attention to the struggles of the Deaf community and the importance of Korean sign language. We will ensure that such mistakes do not happen again in the future.”

The statement also highlighted the role of sign language in the drama, saying, “Sign language plays a crucial part in the relationship between the two main characters as they learn to communicate with each other. Through their journey, we want to show the true value of sign language as an important tool that connects people.”

The production team concluded by asking for viewers' continued support, saying, “We hope you will keep watching the drama and point out any shortcomings you notice.”

Earlier, in the first episode of When the Phone Rings, which aired on November 22nd, a mistake occurred when sign language interpreter Hong Hee Joo (played by Chae Soo Bin) mistakenly used the sign for "mountain" while trying to interpret "landslide" due to a broadcast error.

This led to the sign being misunderstood as a finger gesture commonly seen as offensive, sparking backlash.

After the episode aired, a viewer posted a complaint on the viewer’s board, asking for an apology for mocking sign language.

The viewer explained that the sign for "mountain" is different from the offensive gesture and that using it in this context was hurtful to the Deaf community, as it has been used as a joke by hearing people.

The post described this as an act of discrimination and mockery, calling for a more respectful approach.

Source: [1]