The “Rosé and Jennie Challenge” has emerged in response to the “Suga Challenge.” Rumors spread that BLACKPINK’s fanbase, BLINK, created the “Suga Challenge” to tarnish the reputation of BTS’s fandom, leading to criticism and attacks on BLACKPINK members Rosé and Jennie. This isn’t the first time that overseas fandoms have created false rumors and attacked other artists to protect their own.
On the 12th, BTS fans (ARMYs) began claiming that the “Suga Challenge,” which was supposedly made to justify BTS’s Suga riding an electric scooter under the influence of alcohol, was actually created by BLACKPINK’s fandom to damage the reputation of BTS’s fandom. In retaliation, overseas ARMYs created the “Rosé Challenge” and “Jennie Challenge.” These challenges featured edited photos falsely depicting Rosé as a drug user and using explicit photos to harass Jennie. The challenges have gained significant traction, with related posts reaching 940,000 views.
This is not the first time that some aggressive overseas ARMYs have attacked BLACKPINK members. In December 2021, BTS members opened personal Instagram accounts for the first time after eight years of their debut. The issue arose when member V followed Jennie’s Instagram account, even though he had only followed the other six BTS members and the official account. V later explained on the fan community Weverse that the follow was accidental, saying, “Is there any way to turn off these SNS recommendations? Scary app.” Despite this, some aggressive overseas fans flooded Jennie’s Instagram comments with vomiting emojis, spammed the hashtag #FREETAE (Free Tae), and left comments questioning the nature of their relationship.
Popular culture critic Ha Jae-geun analyzed that the phenomenon of overseas K-pop fandoms attacking other artists stems from cultural differences compared to domestic idol fandoms. He explained, “In Korea, it’s an unwritten rule not to mention other singers even within the same fandom.”
He added, “Due to the nature of fandoms, there may be aggressive behavior towards other singers while supporting their own. In Korea, there was intense fan conflict during the early days of idol culture, leading to a kind of implicit agreement. If someone mentions another singer, they are warned by their own fandom. However, this culture hasn’t taken root overseas, so situations that would be unlikely to happen in Korea can occur overseas.”
He continued, “It’s unclear whether BLINKs were really behind the creation of the ‘Suga Challenge,’ so we can’t hastily conclude that they initiated the situation. Even if they were, it would be wrong for overseas ARMYs to spread false accusations and criticize BLACKPINK.”
Compared to domestic fandoms, overseas fandoms are more likely to criticize other artists while supporting their favorite ones. Similar phenomena have been observed outside of idol fandoms in the entertainment industry.
Actresses Jeon So-min and Ji Ye-eun, who appeared on SBS’s “Running Man,” are examples of artists suffering from attacks by aggressive overseas fandoms. When Jeon So-min joined “Running Man,” some overseas fans, wanting to maintain the original cast, criticized her, saying, “Song Ji-hyo should be the only woman,” and “Draw a clear line between her and the fixed members.” After Jeon So-min left, similar negative comments targeted Ji Ye-eun, with fans only supporting the chemistry among the original members and rejecting her.
Criticizing other artists is not necessary to protect the artists you love. This behavior only ends up hurting both the artists you support and the ones being criticized. This issue cannot be dismissed as merely a cultural difference between overseas and domestic fandoms. Just as domestic fandoms have done in the past, there is an urgent need for self-regulation within overseas fandoms.
