This incident is making Lisa’s fans extremely worried.
Since her debut until now, BLACKPINK’s Lisa has always maintained a clean image and has not been involved in any scandals or controversies. But on March 17, her name was suddenly brought up in the investigation of Thai authorities about the act of promoting a brand of whiskey.
Accordingly, on March 17, the Ministry of Health’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of Thailand guided the Alcohol Control Committee (OACC) to investigate those who post and share images of Lisa advertising alcohol across all media. Recently, Lisa was named the global ambassador of a Scotch whiskey brand, making fans constantly share photos of her holding a bottle of whiskey. Thai law bans all forms of alcohol advertising, so it is illegal to spread Lisa’s advertisement pictures for this brand.
Nation Thailand further reported that OACC is looking into whether Lisa‘s alcohol advertisement violates relevant regulations. Thai law prohibits the advertising of alcohol as well as enticing others to drink. Violators of these two regulations can be fined 500,000 baht (approximately 15,052 USD) or receive a prison sentence of one year or both.
In 2020, when netizens were concerned that they might be fined for posting pictures of alcohol on social networks, the authorities explained that: “This applies to celebrities and famous individuals, not ordinary people.” This has raised concerns that Lisa could be punished.
However, Kachonsak Kaewcharat, deputy director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said that Lisa‘s ads may not violate the regulations of other countries, because not all countries ban alcohol advertising. As such, this ad is completely legal in Korea, Japan, and some other countries. As long as the advertisement is not released in Thailand, the maknae of BLACKPINK will not face charges.
