The controversy surrounding NewJeans’ Hanni and her alleged mistreatment by another artist’s manager has taken a new twist. According to statements from the mothers of NewJeans members, the incident was not properly addressed by Belift Lab or HYBE. A key piece of evidence—the CCTV footage of the event—was reportedly deleted, which has fueled further suspicion and criticism.

Mothers of NewJeans Members Speak Out

The mothers of the NewJeans members have openly expressed their dissatisfaction with how Belift Lab and HYBE handled the situation. In an interview with Ilgan Sports on October 8, one mother revealed that the initial statement issued by Belift Lab on October 7 contained significant factual errors. They requested a corrected statement, but the agency refused.

The mothers accused Belift Lab of changing their stance and refusing to clarify the facts. One mother said, “We have no proper channel to correct these falsehoods, and it’s the agency’s responsibility to do so. Since they refused, we had no choice but to contact Ilgan Sports again.”

The Incident Involving the Deleted CCTV Footage

The situation first surfaced on October 7 when the mothers disclosed that while CCTV footage showed Hanni greeting the artist from ILLIT, the part of the footage that captured the alleged instruction to “ignore” her had been deleted. The mothers voiced concerns about Belift Lab and HYBE not taking appropriate steps to resolve the issue.

In response, Belift Lab denied the allegations of mistreatment, stating that their investigation showed no signs of wrongdoing. They claimed that the ILLIT artist and their team never ignored Hanni and that no such “ignore her” comment was made. However, the mothers argue that the key evidence—the CCTV footage—was tampered with, as the part involving the alleged comment was removed.

Suspicion Grows Over Deleted Footage

One of the mothers revealed that a HYBE security guard admitted the footage was deleted because they thought the greeting was enough and there was no need to keep it. She criticized HYBE, stating, “The decision to review and delete the footage is clearly an issue within HYBE’s own organization. This attempt to distort even small details is not the right approach.”

The mothers stressed that their issue was not about the greeting incident but rather the unfair treatment of NewJeans members by HYBE.

Netizens Question HYBE’s Actions

The controversy has sparked intense reactions from Korean netizens, with many questioning the decision to delete the footage. They commented:

“Was it simply that they didn’t greet as they passed by, or was there a movement caught where they tried to greet but were stopped by the manager? That’s why the CCTV shouldn’t have been deleted. So why did HYBE delete it? Are they feeling guilty about something?”

“So who was the manager who said ‘ignore her’?”

“It is suspicious that the footage was deleted. Especially just that part?”

“So the question is, why did they delete just that part?”

“HYBE is so low.”

“There’s definitely something suspicious in the latter part of the video that’s why they deleted it.”

“The part that’s the issue is when the manager said ‘ignore her’ not the greeting part. Hanni said they greeted each other but the manager told them to ‘ignore her.’ That’s why they deleted the video after the greeting part.”

“Hanni fighting.”

“They tampered with evidence.”

“The issue was not the greeting part. It was the part where the manager said ‘Ignore her.’ But that was the part of the video that got deleted.”

“This is such a crazy company.”

Despite Belift Lab’s attempts to refute the claims, the mothers and fans alike remain suspicious of the agency’s actions. The core issue centers on whether HYBE, Belift Lab, or others in leadership positions attempted to cover up a situation that involved unfair treatment of Hanni.

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