Vietnam probes Blackpink concert organiser over South China Sea map (updated)

YG Entertainment

06/07/2023 15:44

(Updates with iME Vietnam statement)
       HANOI, July 6 (Reuters) - Vietnam has launched an
inspection into the website of K-pop group Blackpink's tour
organiser, ahead of the group's concert in Hanoi, over criticism
from fans that it shows a map of the South China Sea with
disputed boundaries.
    The controversy follows Vietnam's decision to ban Warner
Bros'  WBD.O  highly anticipated film "Barbie" over a scene
allegedly featuring the "nine-dash line" used in Chinese maps to
illustrate Beijing's claims over vast areas of the South China
Sea, including swathes of what Vietnam considers its continental
shelf.
    Vietnam's culture ministry said late on Wednesday it had
ordered an inspection of the iME website "to verify the
suspicion that the company organizing the Blackpink music night
promoted the cow-tongue line", using the Vietnamese phrase to
describe the U-shaped line.
    The ministry did not immediately respond to questions about
the possible outcome of the inspection. It was unclear when it
would announce its findings.
    South Korean agency YG Entertainment  122870.KQ , which
manages Blackpink, had no immediate comment. 
    Late on Thursday, Brian Chow, CEO of iME, said in a
statement that the incident was an "unfortunate
misunderstanding".
    "iME quickly reviewed and committed to replace the images
that are not suitable for Vietnamese," Chow said in the
statement, adding that iME was aware of respecting the
sovereignty and culture of all the countries where it had a
presence.
    The iME website was still inaccessible after the statement
but a cached version seen by Reuters and last updated on July 4,
shows a vague nine-dash line that encompasses nearly the whole
South China Sea.
    Vietnam and China have long had overlapping territorial
claims to a potentially energy-rich stretch in the waterway. The
Southeast Asian country has repeatedly accused Chinese vessels
of violating its sovereignty.
    Blackpink, a cornerstone of South Korea's multi-billion
dollar entertainment industry, is the latest to court trouble in
Vietnam for depicting China's controversial nine-dash line,
which was repudiated in an international arbitration ruling by a
court in The Hague in 2016. China refuses to recognise the
ruling.
    The culture ministry's move followed complaints by
Vietnamese internet users who noticed the nine-dash line on the
organiser's website.
    "Bought two tickets for me and my date. Then saw the
cow-tongue, and quit. I am (a) patriot," Tu Anh Xinh, a
Blackpink fan wrote on Facebook.
    The world-famous K-pop girl group is due to perform in
Vietnam for the first time on July 29-30, having been granted a
government license that requested the organiser to comply with
the government's regulations on performing activities.

 (Reporting by Phuong Nguyen, Khanh Vu, Francesco Guarascio in
Hanoi; additional reporting by Hyunsu Yim in Seoul; Editing by
Kanupriya Kapoor and Hugh Lawson)
 ((Phuong.Nguyen@thomsonreuters.com;
francesco.guarascio@tr.com))