Is Blackpink’s Lisa being mistreated by YG Entertainment? Instagram death threats and a billion won scam – why K-pop fans are saying #YGTreatLisaBetter
- Blackpink’s only non-Korean member, Lalisa Manoban received racist comments after the K-pop supergroup’s 33rd Golden Disc Awards red carpet appearance in 2019
- But her millions of Instagram followers, high-profile Celine endorsement and boatload of awards show that she deserves better from her agency
But that wasn’t the first time Lisa was unfairly targeted. Here’s a list of incidents that got fans particularly incensed … and why we think #YGShouldTreatLisaBetter, especially ahead of her 24th birthday on March 27.
She got death threats – and fans caught wind earlier than YG Entertainment did
In May 2020, many Blinks – or Blackpink fans – were worried when Lisa received multiple death threats. On May 7, 2020, the Thai Embassy in Seoul posted on its official Twitter account, saying: “We received a lot of emails and Twitter messages regarding a personal threat posed to Lisa.”
According to KpopStarz, netizens posted chilling comments like, “Once Blackpink has there [sic] comeback stage, I’m going to shoot Lisa.” Another user posted an image edit of Lisa in a grave with the caption, “I will kill Lisa. I have my gun already.”
But who alerted the embassy to the situation in the first place? Not Lisa’s agency, YG Entertainment, but her fans. Many of them reported the death threats to the Thai Embassy in Seoul. After the embassy got in touch with YG Entertainment, the agency made an official statement reassuring everyone that that they were prioritising the safety and protection of their artists, saying: “We will collect and review evidence through regular monitoring data, as well as tip-offs from fans, and take a hard-line response without leniency.”