ADOR Responds to NewJeans’ Hanni’s “Illegal Resident” Status, “Preparing for Visa Extension”
On December 20, ADOR responds to reports about NewJeans’ Hanni’s possibility of being deemed as an illegal resident due to her citizenship and visa status, saying, “Since her exclusive contract with ADOR as a member of New Jeans is still valid, we are preparing documents for visa extension according to the procedure.”
Meanwhile, earlier on the same day, industry sources revealed that individual A filed a report titled “Application for Deportation of Illegal Resident Phạm Ngọc Hân (Hanni’s real name)” through the Immigration Offenses Reporting system of the Ministry of Justice’s Immigration and Foreign Policy Bureau.
Hanni has found herself in a difficult situation regarding her visa status after unilaterally notifying ADOR of her contract termination on August 28. While Danielle, one of the five members, holds dual citizenship in Korea and Australia, Hanni, who has dual citizenship in Australia and Vietnam, is legally considered a foreigner and must renew her visa annually.
This has created a dilemma. Although Hanni claims her contract with ADOR has ended, she is currently staying in Korea with a visa issued through ADOR. This implies that she is indirectly acknowledging the validity of her exclusive contract and ADOR as her agency.
If Hanni’s claim of contract termination is recognized, her contract would have ended on August 29, leaving her without an agency and invalidating the visa issued through ADOR. According to immigration laws, Hanni should have returned her registration card and left Korea by September 13, 15 days after her claim of contract termination. By her own account, this technically makes her an illegal resident as of now.
The Immigration Act allows for a change of workplace under the existing visa, but this requires the consent of the former agency. Given ADOR’s assertion that the exclusive contract with NewJeans remains valid, it is unlikely they would provide such consent.
Under current laws, foreign nationals who wish to work as entertainers in Korea must have an agency and obtain an E-6 (entertainment) visa under the company’s sponsorship. To obtain this visa, several documents are required, including an exclusive contract with a registered entertainment agency, the agency’s registration certificate, a letter of guarantee from the agency’s representative, and an employment recommendation from the Minister of Culture, Sports, and Tourism.
The E-6 visa essentially binds the entertainer’s activities to the sponsoring agency. Consequently, using a visa obtained through ADOR to pursue individual activities or work with another agency would constitute a violation of the law.
Hanni’s activities in Korea are not entirely impossible in the future. If she promptly obtains a new E-6 visa, she can resume her career in the country. However, this process, including acquiring the necessary documents such as the employment recommendation from the Minister of Culture, may take 2–3 months, during which she would be unable to engage in any entertainment activities in Korea. If the five members’ claims are correct, this suggests that full group activities for NewJeans would be challenging for the time being.
Some speculate that the rumors of the five members’ families establishing a new agency stem from the urgent need for a new affiliation to address these issues.
Industry insiders report that the visa issued to Hanni through ADOR is set to expire early next year. Regarding this, ADOR stated, “Since the exclusive contract with NewJeans remains valid, we are in the process of preparing the necessary documents for visa renewal in accordance with the procedure.”