Police have launched a full investigation into allegations that ADOR, the agency behind girl group NewJeans, leaked the visa information of member Hanni, a Vietnamese-Australian, summoning the complainant's representative for questioning.
According to police sources, the Yongsan Police Station in Seoul questioned attorney Park Kang-hoon of the law firm Kangsung at 2 p.m. that day in his capacity as the complainant's representative. Park represents pop culture critic Kim Sung-soo, who on the 28th of last month filed a complaint against ADOR and its staff on charges of violating the Personal Information Protection Act.
Kim had earlier alleged that ADOR and others leaked Hanni's personal information — including the type of her arts and entertainment (E-6) visa, its expiration date and the status of her visa extension application — to the media during a dispute over her exclusive contract.
Hanni holds dual Australian and Vietnamese citizenship and requires an E-6 visa to stay and work in South Korea.
Park said the questioning of the complainant that day focused on whether details such as the visa type and expiration date fall under the protection of the Personal Information Protection Act.
"The Personal Information Protection Act does not protect only information that cannot be obtained through any channel," Park said during the questioning. "If information belonging to an individual's private sphere is disclosed outside legitimate channels, the elements of a legal violation are met."
He added that a very small number of ADOR staff had passed information — such as the status of the visa extension application and the progress of the extension procedure — to some reporters.
"The agency was supposed to manage her residency status on her behalf, which is a lifeline for a foreign national, but instead used it as a weapon," Park said. "It must be revealed whose hands that information passed through on its way to the media."
Park added that he had confirmed with police some 1,000 petitions written by citizens and fans calling for ADOR to be sternly punished.
Hanni's existing visa expired while she was in a dispute after declaring the termination of her exclusive contract, citing the agency's failure to fulfill its obligations. In February last year, some entertainment media outlets reported that if Hanni left ADOR, the disappearance of her agency would mean she no longer met the requirements for a visa, potentially making her an undocumented resident.
The speculation over illegal residency was put to rest, however, after it emerged that Hanni had obtained a new visa.
