On the afternoon of October 15th, during a government audit by the National Assembly Environment and Labor Committee, Representative Jung Hye-kyung from the Progressive Party mentioned a 2024 employee death incident while questioning ADOR CEO Kim Joo-young, who was summoned as a witness regarding labor issues such as workplace bullying.
Representative Jung asked, “I received a tip that in June 2024, a HYBE employee collapsed while working in the office and was taken to the hospital, where they passed away. Is this true?” In response, CEO Kim stated, “In September 2024, an employee went to rest in the nap room around 5 PM after saying they would take a short break. Unfortunately, they were found collapsed and were taken to the hospital, where they tragically passed away from a personal illness a few days later.”
However, Representative Jung countered, “You claim it was a personal illness, but we see this as a death from overwork. HYBE had been expanding its subsidiaries and managing multiple idol groups simultaneously, including handling overseas schedules, often requiring employees to work day and night. According to the Korea Workers’ Compensation and Welfare Service, no application for industrial accident compensation was made, and while you claim it was due to a personal illness, we believe this is something that should have been investigated and likely was due to overwork. Is HYBE trying to cover up a death from overwork?“
CEO Kim denied the allegation, “HYBE would never cover up such a matter.” When Representative Jung asked “But wasn’t an autopsy performed?“, CEO Kim replied, “That was the decision made by the parents.”
Representative Jung then remarked, “Yes, that’s how cover-ups happen—through agreements with the bereaved family. Please provide us with the full details of the incident.“
In the same audit session, HYBE’s internal workplace bullying was also discussed, with NewJeans‘ member Hanni summoned as a reference due to the recent “NewJeans outcast controversy”. Hanni, answering questions in her less-than-fluent Korean, shed tears and said, “I’ve thought a lot about this situation. I believe if we respect each other as human beings, there wouldn’t be issues like workplace harassment or bullying.”
CEO Kim concluded by saying, “We will carefully heed the concerns raised and pay more attention moving forward. We will listen more closely to artists like Hanni and ensure their human rights are protected, so they can fully pursue their dreams and aspirations.”