Blackpink 10th anniversary controversy: Jisoo, Rosé, and Lisa apologize, but Jennie's response differs

The controversy surrounding Blackpink's 10th anniversary debut, involving allegations of mistreating fans, is escalating following a series of apologies and emotional confessions from the members. Following Jisoo and Rosé, Lisa also directly expressed her apologies to fans, but a subtle difference in tone was detected as Jennie limited her remarks to celebrating the 10th anniversary and expressing gratitude.

On the 14th, Lisa released a long message to the Blackpink fandom, BLINK, through a fan communication platform.

She directly addressed the current situation, stating, “Our 10th anniversary was almost a week ago,” and “There are many discussions happening online.” She continued, “It is so sad that things have turned out this way, and I am truly sorry. I cannot even imagine how upset you must have been, because I felt the same way.”

She also expressed regret that the 10th-anniversary event failed to bring only joy to the fans. While emphasizing that “It should have been a special moment and a time of celebration for all of us,” Lisa drew a line by saying, “I am not writing this to justify anything or to insist on my position.”

What she emphasized was the relationship that the fans and Blackpink have built together. Lisa conveyed, “I simply want to cherish the love and bond we have shared,” adding, “I am sincerely grateful for the fact that we could be together.”

At the end, she expressed her affection for BLINK, saying, “I hope we can continue to move forward together while cherishing the love we have shared.”

The controversy began with the 10th-anniversary debut event held on the 8th. Blackpink held a ‘Meet &Greet’ event with fans at the National Museum of Korea in Yongsan-gu, Seoul.

Although it was a symbolic 10th-anniversary milestone, noise continued during the preparation process, such as the late announcement of the event and reports that only some members would attend. As fans had long waited for full-group activities and fan communication, their disappointment was as great as their high expectations.

Ultimately, this led to a situation where the members had to personally soothe the fans' feelings of disappointment.

Jisoo was the first to speak up. On the day of the event, Jisoo expressed her apologies for not considering the fans' feelings through a fan communication platform, saying, “It seems like this anniversary is a day where I feel a great sense of apology.” She followed up by apologizing again, saying, “I am sorry once again for causing such great disappointment.”

It was also reported that Jisoo could not hide her emotions at the scene. She drew sympathy from fans as it was revealed that she shed tears while reading handwritten letters received from fans.

Rosé also revealed her feelings directly through official channels on the 11th. She explained that because she felt as much disappointment as BLINK while welcoming this 10th anniversary, she struggled with what words to say first because she empathized deeply with the fans' emotions.

She repeatedly expressed her apologies to fans, saying, “My heart is heavy because I feel like I made you feel even lonelier in the meantime.” Afterwards, she revealed her complex emotions by posting a photo of herself crying on her SNS.

As Jisoo and Rosé directly addressed and apologized for the fans' disappointment, and Lisa followed with a message of a similar nature, the 10th-anniversary controversy is evolving into a pattern of official emotional expressions from the members.

On the other hand, Jennie's actions were relatively different.

Jennie also shared her thoughts on reaching the 10th anniversary of her debut and expressed her gratitude to fans via SNS on the 8th. However, unlike Jisoo, Rosé, and Lisa, who directly mentioned the disappointment felt by fans and expressed their apologies, Jennie left a message celebrating the 10th anniversary without any separate apology or specific mention of the controversy.

In the end, a slight difference emerged in how the four members, facing the same controversy, conveyed their feelings to the fans.

For Blackpink, the 10th anniversary holds a meaning beyond a simple anniversary. This is because the time the members and fans have built together while growing into a global girl group since their debut is compressed into the number 10.

To that extent, it is highly likely that what fans expected was not just the success or failure of a simple event, but the emotional experience of 'celebrating together.' This controversy also ultimately boils down to the issue of how much fans felt they were being respected during the process, rather than the event itself.

The fact that the members consecutively issued direct apologies and messages empathizing with the fans' feelings is not unrelated to this point. Reconfirming the relationship with the fandom they have been with for 10 years and how to bridge the emotional gap created by this controversy has become another task for Blackpink to address.