Belift Lab, the agency of ILLIT, has denied allegations that the group’s manager made a comment telling members to “ignore” NewJeans member Hanni.

On October 7th, Belift Lab stated, “The ILLIT protocol manager has never made the comment ‘ignore her’ towards any NewJeans member.”

This statement follows claims made by Hanni during a live broadcast on September 11th, where she alleged that an ILLIT manager had told someone to "ignore her," sparking rumors of bullying and workplace harassment. The South Korean National Assembly's Environment and Labor Committee has since selected Hanni and Kim Jooyoung, CEO of ADOR and HYBE’s Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO), as witnesses for a national audit.

According to ILLIT's side, “The ILLIT protocol manager has never said ‘ignore her’ towards any NewJeans members. Furthermore, the ILLIT members have always greeted NewJeans members courteously and have never passed by without greeting them.” Belift Lab confirmed this after a review of CCTV footage and interviews with members and staff following a complaint raised by NewJeans members’ parents on June 13th.

Belift Lab explained that the only encounter between the two groups was on May 27th, when they were in the same space for about five minutes. The agency claimed that CCTV footage captured ILLIT members bowing at a 90-degree angle to greet NewJeans’ Hanni as they passed by in the building lobby.

When this footage was reviewed on August 14th with representatives, including former ADOR CEO Min Heejin, Min reportedly claimed that the alleged incident occurred after this scene and suggested the existence of additional footage. However, the agency explained that it was impossible to retrieve further footage as the 30-day retention period had passed. Min's side has since claimed that HYBE intentionally deleted the footage.

Belift Lab further stated that their managers always use honorifics and respectful language towards celebrities, making it impossible for the alleged “ignore her” comment to have been made. They expressed concern over false claims being treated as fact, causing extreme distress and mental anguish for the staff member involved. The company warned that they would take all necessary legal measures if this situation continues to harm the reputation of their staff and artists.

Below is Belift Lab’s official statement in full:

Belift Lab Official Statement

Hello, this is Belift Lab.

Regarding the October 7th article in Ilgan Sports, we would like to share Belift Lab's official position.

We strongly demand an immediate halt to the baseless accusations of plagiarism and the unfounded personnel issues aimed at defaming our rookie artists.

The ILLIT protocol manager has never made the comment “ignore her” towards any NewJeans members. ILLIT members have also never passed by NewJeans members without greeting them.

This was confirmed through a review of CCTV footage and interviews conducted with ILLIT members and staff following a complaint raised by NewJeans members' parents on June 13th at the request of Belift Lab.

The only encounter between the two groups occurred on May 27th, when they were in the same space in the HYBE building for about five minutes. CCTV footage confirmed that ILLIT members bowed at a 90-degree angle to greet NewJeans’ Hanni before entering the styling room.

This footage was reviewed with former CEO Min Heejin’s team on August 14th. After reviewing the footage, Min’s side claimed that the issue occurred after this scene and suggested the existence of additional footage. However, security personnel explained that the 30-day footage retention period had expired, making further retrieval impossible. Min's side claims that HYBE intentionally deleted the footage.

Belift Lab emphasized that its managers use honorifics and respectful language towards celebrities, making the alleged comment objectively impossible.

Claims that the footage of the alleged “ignore her” comment was deleted are unfounded, as CCTV does not record audio.

From the moment the issue was raised, Belift Lab has taken the matter seriously, ensuring that all artists and staff members interact respectfully. Despite providing explanations and evidence, new claims have been made, leading us to suspect ulterior motives behind the ongoing public discussion, even in the National Assembly.

We refrained from making public statements until now to protect the staff member, who is in a vulnerable position compared to more prominent artists. However, the continued attempts to solidify false claims as fact have caused the staff member to experience severe distress. The true victim of this situation is the protocol manager, who has been subject to these baseless accusations.

Belift Lab sent two official responses to ADOR in August and September regarding this issue, calling for preventive measures. After NewJeans’ Hanni discussed the matter in a live broadcast, bringing it to public attention, we requested an apology from the member and ADOR, but have yet to receive a response.

If this issue continues to harm the reputation of our staff, artists, and company, we will take all necessary legal measures.

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