After being accused of violating the sovereignty of Vietnam, the organizer of the BLACKPINK concert issued an official statement.
Recently, it was announced that BLACKPINK will be holding two nights of concerts in Hanoi, Vietnam, as part of the girl group’s world tour “BORN PINK”. However, the organizer of BLACKPINK concert in Vietnam, IME, suddenly becomes embroiled in a political controversy.
In particular, on IME’s official Vietnamese fanpage, there was a link directing to a controversial map, which includes the “9-dash-line”.
The “9-dash-line”, which is drawn on various maps, makes territorial claims that various areas on the South China Sea, including the Paracel Islands and the Spratly Islands, among others, belongs to China. To Vietnamese people, the 9-dash-line is a serious violation of their nation’s sovereignty.
In fact, the “9-dash-line” is also considered to be a sovereignty violation in several other nations, such as the Philippines.
As a result, IME’s use of the “9-dash-line” spurred investigation on Vietnam’s behalf, and as of the afternoon on July 6th, the organizer of BLACKPINK’s concert in Vietnam has issued an official statement regarding the matter.
In the statement, IME stated, “In response to certain information causing public discussion, IME Vietnam (IME Music Company Limited) officially apologizes for the incident regarding the circulated images on some media outlets.”
They also explained that IME is an international entertainment company, and the circulated images are from a website that is shared among regional offices in Asia, and is not the official website of the Vietnamese entity for IME. Currently, IME Vietnam does not have an officially registered website in the country and operates only on some social media platforms.
Additionally, the CEO of IME, Mr. Brian Chow, also said, “The map image on the website does not represent any national territory, and we are aware of the importance of respecting the sovereignty and culture of all countries where IME operates. IME has quickly reviewed and committed to replacing inappropriate images with respect to the Vietnamese people”, adding, “Once again, we sincerely apologize for this regrettable misunderstanding.”
Since the “9-dash-line” is a serious matter in Vietnam, it is unclear whether IME and BLACKPINK’s concert in Vietnam will face any future repercussions.
Source: k14
