BLACKPINK marked its 10th debut anniversary on Saturday with a small fan meet at Seoul’s National Museum of Korea, even as growing criticism over the event put YG Entertainment under pressure.
The Korea Times reported that Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa and Rosé met 40 fans at the event, the group’s first appearance before Korean fans since their concerts in Goyang in July last year.
“Today is the day BLACKPINK turns 10,” Jisoo said during a Weverse live broadcast before the event. “It’s an important day for us.”
The members also reflected on the milestone during the broadcast. Rosé said the past decade had passed in a blur and did not feel like 10 years. She brought out a cake with a “10” candle and gave each member a bouquet, prompting Jennie to call her “the romanticist of our team”.
Lisa said she had been too nervous to eat and listened to BLACKPINK songs while getting her hair and makeup done.
Jisoo also addressed the criticism surrounding the anniversary event. “We originally wanted to see many more people,” she said. “We knew this was an important day, but there seems to have been a problem in our communication. I feel sorry about that.”
YG announced the meet-and-greet only on Thursday, two days before the event. Applications remained open for about nine hours, with attendance limited to 40 fans. Paid Weverse members who held memberships as of 31 July could apply.
The announcement said members would attend “depending on their schedules”, fuelling speculation that all four might not appear. YG confirmed the full group’s attendance the following day and revealed the venue only hours before the event.
Online fan communities criticised both the limited scale and late announcement. They noted that BLACKPINK met 88 fans for its eighth anniversary in 2024. Before this year’s milestone, the only anniversary project announced in advance had been merchandise.
The anniversary collection, released Saturday by the museum through its official MU merchandise brand, includes seven items, including a pink moon jar and a paper fan.
The National Museum of Korea has previously collaborated with BLACKPINK, hosting a listening event for the group’s EP ‘DEADLINE’ in February.
