The police have begun a formal investigation into allegations that Ador, the agency representing the girl group NewJeans, leaked visa information of member Hani, an Australian of Vietnamese descent. On August 10, Kim Seong-soo, a cultural critic who filed the complaint against Ador and its employees for violating personal data protection laws, was represented by attorney Park Kang-hoon from the law firm Kangseong, who appeared at the Yongsan Police Station in Seoul.
Kim previously claimed that Ador leaked Hani's personal information, including the type of her E-6 visa, its expiration date, and the status of her visa extension application, to the media during a dispute over her exclusive contract.
During the investigation, attorney Park argued, "The personal data protection law does not only protect information that cannot be verified through any means. If information belonging to an individual's private domain is disclosed outside of legitimate channels, it constitutes a violation of the law." He also added that a small number of Ador employees allegedly provided this internal information to certain journalists.
Park stated, "The agency should have managed the residency status, which is crucial for foreigners, but instead used it as leverage. It is essential to determine who facilitated the transfer of this information to the media."
Previously, Hani declared the termination of her exclusive contract due to the agency's failure to fulfill its obligations, coinciding with the expiration of her existing visa.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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