SEOUL, July 29 (AJP) - K-pop girl group NewJeans' agency ADOR has been reported to police over allegations that it disclosed private visa information belonging to member Hanni to the media during its contract dispute with the K-pop group.
Pop culture critic Kim Sung-soo filed a criminal complaint against ADOR and several of its employees with Yongsan Police Station in Seoul on Tuesday, accusing them of violating South Korea's Personal Information Protection Act.
Kim alleged that the company obtained details about Hanni's immigration status while managing her activities in South Korea and later shared them with entertainment reporters without her consent. The information allegedly included the type and expiration date of her visa, the status of renewal documents and whether she had signed the necessary paperwork.
Based on the filed complaint, the police will determine ADOR insiders who had provided Hanni's personal information and how it reached third parties. Kim also claimed the agency used the visa issue to put pressure on Hanni during the contract dispute and portray her as being at risk of remaining in South Korea illegally. The allegations have not been proven.
The case revives a controversy that emerged in February 2025, when a series of reports questioned whether Hanni could continue legally working in South Korea after the members declared their contracts with ADOR terminated. At the time, some outlets reported that her E-6 entertainment visa depended on her affiliation with the agency and that she had declined to sign documents prepared for an extension.
The members' parents said at the time that about 70 speculative media reports had appeared over two days and accused ADOR of mishandling sensitive personal information. They later announced that Hanni had obtained a new visa through legal procedures, ending speculation over her immediate residency status.
Hanni, a dual Vietnamese-Australian citizen, requires a valid visa to carry out entertainment activities in South Korea. Foreign performers generally work under an E-6 visa, although the type of visa she received in February 2025 was not disclosed.ADOR faces police complaint over alleged leak of NewJeans member Hanni's visa information
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