Blackpink reunites in Seoul for 10th anniversary, apologizes to disappointed fans

Girl group Blackpink celebrated its 10th anniversary with fans in Seoul on Saturday, bringing all four members together for a rare in-person event after days of frustration over what some fans saw as an underwhelming milestone celebration.

Members Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé and Lisa attended the event together, meeting a small group of Blinks, the name for Blackpink’s fan base, on Saturday — exactly 10 years after Blackpink debuted under YG Entertainment with the single album “Square One” in 2016.

The four members also marked the anniversary with a Weverse livestream later that same day, thanking fans for staying with the group over the past decade.

“Today is the day Blackpink turns 10 years old,” Jisoo said. “It’s an important day for us. Thank you.”

Rosé reflected on how quickly the decade had passed.

“They say time flies when you’re having fun, and I think these 10 years really did,” she said. “It doesn’t feel like it’s been 10 years.” She also prepared a cake and bouquets for the members, prompting Jennie to call her “the romantic of our group.”

Lisa said she had been nervous ahead of the anniversary celebrations.

“I was so nervous today that I couldn’t even eat,” she said. “I was listening to Blackpink songs while getting my hair and makeup done.”

The livestream also addressed some of the disappointment surrounding the anniversary plans. The group had held the anniversary event, a meet-and-greet with 40 fans at the National Museum of Korea in Yongsan District, central Seoul, but the event was announced only two days beforehand, and its limited scale had drawn criticism from some members of the fandom.

“We prepared a small event, but originally we wanted to see many more people,” Jisoo said. “We knew this was an important day, but I think there was a problem with our communication. We’re sorry.”

She added that the members had hoped to spend the anniversary happily with fans despite the criticism.

“I want to say I’m sorry and that I love the Blinks who may have felt a little disappointed,” Jisoo said. “I hope you understand how we feel.”

The backlash toward the organization of the 10th anniversary events was particularly sharp given how active the four members have been individually. Since concluding their individual contracts with YG in 2023, Jennie, Jisoo, Rosé and Lisa have pursued separate careers under different labels while retaining YG for Blackpink’s group activities. Jennie founded OA Entertainment, Jisoo established Blissoo, Lisa launched Lloud and Rosé signed with The Black Label.

Blackpink reunited for the “Deadline” world tour last year, beginning with two stadium concerts in Goyang that drew 78,000 people, and completed 33 shows across 16 cities before wrapping the tour in Hong Kong in January. The quartet also released its third EP, “Deadline,” in February, its first album in three years and five months.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]