NewJeans’ Hanni Accused of Visa Information Leak; ADOR and Employees Charged with Violating Personal Information Protection Law

ADOR, the agency managing group NewJeans, has been filed a complaint against by the police for allegedly leaking personal visa information belonging to member Hanni. On the 28th, popular culture critic Kim Seong-soo held a press conference in front of the Yongsan Police Station in Seoul and stated that ADOR along with its employees were being accused of violating the Personal Information Protection Law. Kim claimed that ADOR disclosed externally information such as Hanni’s visa type, expiration date, status of extension application procedures, and whether she had signed relevant documents, all of which were obtained as part of their work duties.

ADOR acquired and handled details like Hanni’s visa type, expiration date, status of extension application procedures, and signature during the process of managing her management and residence eligibility. Kim argued that such sensitive information was made public through media reports citing “multiple music industry insiders” between December 2024 and February last year. On February 12th of last year, the parents of NewJeans members issued an official statement, expressing concern over privacy violations and rights infringements after approximately 70 speculative articles detailing visa types and expiration dates were published over two days.

Visa information is highly sensitive personal data that should not be disclosed to outsiders. It is information known only to immigration authorities, the individual themselves, and their agency handling related matters. Hanni’s existing visa expired while she was involved in a contract dispute with ADOR starting in December 2024. In February last year, some media outlets reported that if Hanni left ADOR, she might become an illegal resident since the agency would no longer exist to meet the requirements for issuing an E-6 art performance visa.

Kim alleged that ADOR attempted to exploit Hanni’s visa information to gain an advantage in the contract dispute and label her as an illegal resident. The complaint details how ADOR and employees responsible for residence eligibility tasks leaked Hanni’s personal information obtained through their work. Kim demanded that investigative authorities identify who within ADOR provided the information and trace how it was passed on to third parties such as the media.

The police plan to conduct investigations, including verifying the facts outlined in the complaint.