BLACKPINK’s 10th Anniversary.. YG’s Absurd Planning That Betrayed the Fandom [★FOCUS]

*This content was translated by AI.

In the K-pop market, an idol group surpassing the so-called “curse of seven years” to reach its 10th anniversary since debut is an extremely symbolic and unprecedented milestone.

If that group is BLACKPINK (BLACKPINK), a global girl group that has elevated the status of K-pop and dominated the worldwide music market, the significance becomes even more profound. It is a monumental day when not only the members but also their agency and Blink (the fandom name) around the world unite to hold large-scale offline festivals or grand self-celebration events — nothing would be strange about it; in fact, they should have done so.

However, on August 8, as BLACKPINK and its agency YG Entertainment prepared to celebrate their glorious 10th anniversary, their actions went beyond mere disappointment, evoking a sense of utter helplessness.

Despite the grand title of “10th Anniversary since Debut,” BLACKPINK had not held any pre-event activities or major events until just a few days ago. The only publicly announced initiative was the release of merchandise from the “Heritage Collection” in collaboration with the National Museum of Korea. There was a glaring lack of 10th anniversary-specific content that would allow artists and fans to connect, beyond mere goods sales.

Fans’ disappointment and dissatisfaction had been accumulating since the first half of last year, reaching a breaking point. When they released their new mini-album “DEADLINE” in February, there were no music show performances, original content, or promotions — it simply passed into long silence. Even if BLACKPINK is a world star so busy with overseas tours and ambassador schedules that they have no time to rest, such passive neglect during the 10th anniversary year, when connection with fans is most important, could only leave fans deeply disappointed.

Eventually, as global fans’ complaints and fierce criticism toward the agency grew uncontrollably, YG Entertainment seemed to finally recognize the severity of the situation. Just two days before the 10th anniversary, on the 6th, they announced via the fan communication platform Weverse: “To commemorate the 10th years we have built together with Blink, we have prepared a special meeting. We hope many Blinks who wish to share precious memories with BLACKPINK will participate.” This was a surprise announcement of an offline event.

However, this announcement did nothing to soothe the angry fans; instead, it poured oil on a burning fire. The event details were so insufficient and absurd that even the grandiose modifier “special meeting” became embarrassing. According to the announcement, the event was scheduled for Saturday afternoon on the 10th anniversary day itself, August 8, with the venue listed only as “a certain place in Seoul.” Even two days before the event, specific time and location were not clearly provided.

What shocked global fans even more was the limited participation of just “40 people” and the half-hearted attendee list. It is comical that a top girl group with tens of millions of fans worldwide would invite only 40 people to its 10th anniversary event, but what truly enraged fans was that it was not a full-group gathering where all members would be present. The agency announcedschedules will attend.”

The eligibility criteria for participation also drew widespread public criticism. Entry was limited only to those who had joined Weverse membership by the 31st of last month. Within the fandom, bitter remarks emerged: “In a situation where BLACKPINK members have essentially stopped communicating on Weverse over the past one to two years, how many fans would have consistently maintained paid membership while waiting for an unpredictable notification?” It amounted to a farce where only those who joined membership on a platform with no communication received benefits.

Moreover, as real-time updates on the current whereabouts and recent activities of BLACKPINK members were shared across various online communities and SNS, it became an established fact among fans that not all members are currently staying in Korea. The occurrence of members missing the 10th anniversary event itself is clear evidence that no prior coordination or schedule alignment with the members had taken place at all. This strongly supports the reasonable suspicion that the agency hastily fabricated this event merely to appease the intensifying public criticism.

Without any genuine consideration for communication or meticulous planning, the agency’s shallow planning — consistently resorting to a “blindfolded evasion” approach just to dodge criticism — has left BLACKPINK’s brilliant 10th anniversary bruised and tarnished.

It remains to be seen whether an unprecedented surprise announcement will be made on August 8, the day of their 10th anniversary, that can instantly soothe the painful disappointment of Blinks worldwide, or if this hastily arranged, half-hearted event limited to 40 people will end leaving only bitterness. The public and the music industry are watching closely.

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*This content was translated by AI.