The labor ministry has concluded that Hanni, a member of the K-pop girl group NewJeans, is not an employee under the Labor Standards Act, which prohibits workplace bullying and harassment. 

The ministry revealed the decision Wednesday in response to a petition submitted by the group’s fans to the Seobu branch office of the Seoul Regional Employment and Labor Office, which claimed the Vietnamese-Australian singer was ostracized at her workplace.
 
In September, Hanni said in a YouTube live broadcast that when she greeted the manager of another K-pop group and its members in the hallway of the HYBE building, the manager told the other artists to ignore Hanni. 

The Seobu branch office said Hanni is not considered a laborer under the Labor Standards Act, based on the content and nature of the contract that she signed with her management company. 

The predominant view has been that celebrities are not laborers under the Labor Standards Act.