Vietnam is investigating the website of Blackpink’s tour organiser, ahead of the K-Pop superstars’ concert in Hanoi, after fans complained that it shows a map of the South China Sea with disputed boundaries.
The controversy follows Hanoi’s decision to ban the movie Barbie over a scene allegedly featuring the “nine-dash line” used in Chinese maps to illustrate Beijing’s claims over vast areas of the South China Sea, including areas Vietnam considers its own.
Vietnam’s culture ministry said it had ordered an inspection of the tour website.
The Chinese organiser iME Entertainment and the South Korean agency YG Entertainment, which manages Blackpink, had no immediate comment.
The organiser’s website was inaccessible on Thursday but a cached version seen by Reuters and last updated on July 4, shows a vague nine-dash line that includes nearly the whole South China Sea.
Vietnam and China have long had a dispute over claims to the waterway.
Blackpink, including Thai member Lisa Manoban, is due to perform in Vietnam for the first time ever on July 29 and 30.
