6-7-2023 (HANOI) The Vietnamese government has initiated an investigation into the website of the tour organiser for K-pop group Blackpink, ahead of their highly-anticipated concert in Hanoi. The move comes in response to criticism from fans who noticed that the website displays a map of the South China Sea with disputed boundaries.
This controversy follows Vietnam’s recent decision to ban the release of Warner Bros’ much-awaited film “Barbie” due to a scene allegedly featuring the “nine-dash line,” a representation used in Chinese maps to assert Beijing’s territorial claims over vast areas of the South China Sea, including regions that Vietnam considers part of its continental shelf.
Vietnam’s Ministry of Culture announced late on Wednesday (July 5) that it had ordered an inspection of the tour organiser’s website “to verify suspicions that the company promoting the Blackpink music night had promoted the cow-tongue line,” using a Vietnamese term to describe the U-shaped line.
The ministry has not provided immediate responses regarding the potential outcome of the inspection, and it remains unclear when the findings will be announced.
Both the Chinese organiser, iME Entertainment, and the South Korean agency, YG Entertainment, which manages Blackpink, have not yet issued any comments regarding the controversy.
As of Thursday, the organiser’s website was inaccessible. However, a cached version viewed by Reuters, last updated on July 4, shows a vague depiction of the nine-dash line, encompassing nearly the entire South China Sea.
Vietnam and China have long been engaged in territorial disputes over a potentially resource-rich area of the waterway. The Southeast Asian country has repeatedly accused Chinese vessels of violating its sovereignty.
Blackpink, a prominent group in South Korea’s multi-billion dollar entertainment industry, is the latest to face criticism in Vietnam for featuring China’s controversial nine-dash line, which was invalidated by an international arbitration ruling from the Hague in 2016. However, China has refused to acknowledge the ruling.
The Ministry of Culture’s investigation was prompted by complaints from Vietnamese internet users who noticed the presence of the nine-dash line on the tour organiser’s website.
“I purchased two tickets for myself and my date. But then I saw the cow-tongue line and decided to quit. I am a patriot,” wrote Tu Anh Xinh, a Blackpink fan, on Facebook.
Blackpink is scheduled to perform in Vietnam for the first time ever from July 29 to July 30, following the granting of a government license that requires the organiser to comply with the government’s regulations regarding performance activities.
