BLACKPINK have addressed fans following criticism surrounding the K-pop group’s 10th anniversary celebrations, with JISOO, ROSÉ, LISA, and JENNIE each sharing messages with BLINKs after the milestone.
The quartet marked their 10th anniversary on 8 August, a decade after making their debut. However, what was meant to be a celebratory moment became a source of disappointment for some fans, who raised concerns over the scale, organisation, and communication surrounding the anniversary activities.
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At the centre of the criticism was an anniversary event held at the National Museum of Korea in Seoul’s Yongsan District. According to reports, the event was announced two days beforehand and was attended by 40 fans selected from paid Weverse membership holders.
All four BLACKPINK members ultimately attended the gathering, which included interactions with fans, flowers, and a three-tiered pink cake. The group also appeared together for a brief livestream.
However, the relatively intimate scale of the event — alongside earlier uncertainty over whether all four members would be present and the limited advance notice — left some BLINKs disappointed. Reports described the livestream as lasting around 10 minutes and the main programme around 30 minutes.
JISOO addresses BLINKs during anniversary celebrations
[TRANS] jisoo: We really wanted to meet a lot of fans, and we know how important our 10th anniversary is. But I think there were some issues with our communication and we’re very sorry about that. We really wanted to spend the day happily with joy and we want to say that we…
— BLACKPINK BLINK UNION 💕 (@BBU_BLACKPINK) August 8, 2026
JISOO was among the first members to address the response from fans.
During the livestream, she acknowledged that communication surrounding the anniversary could have been better and apologised to BLINKs who had been left disappointed.
“I originally wanted to see so many of you, and I knew this was an important day — our 10th anniversary,” she said. “I wanted this to be a happy occasion, but I’m sorry to the BLINKs who feel let down. I hope you know that I love you.”
After footage of JISOO becoming emotional while reading fan letters prompted speculation online, she later asked fans to refrain from negative discussion and “baseless speculation” surrounding the anniversary.
ROSÉ says she wanted the anniversary to be a day everyone could celebrate
ROSÉ subsequently shared a longer message with fans, explaining that she had needed time to gather her thoughts.
The singer said she understood BLINKs’ disappointment and apologised for potentially making fans “feel even more alone” by not speaking sooner.
Reflecting on the decade BLACKPINK and BLINKs have spent together, ROSÉ said she had hoped 8 August could simply be a day when the group and its fans could celebrate.
“I wanted Aug. 8, at least, to be a day when all of us could smile and be happy, but things didn’t turn out the way I had hoped, and I’m deeply sorry,” she said.
She also thanked the fans who attended the anniversary gathering despite the hot weather and expressed her hopes for BLACKPINK and BLINKs to continue making memories together.
LISA apologises over how the milestone unfolded
LISA also addressed fans in a message following the anniversary.
The BLACKPINK member said she felt sad about how the milestone had unfolded and apologised to fans, acknowledging that the anniversary was meant to be a special celebration shared between the group and BLINKs.
Rather than offer a justification for what happened, LISA focused her message on the relationship BLACKPINK have built with their fans over the past decade.
Her statement followed those from JISOO and ROSÉ, making her the third member reported to have publicly addressed the disappointment at the time.
JENNIE: “There’s really no excuse I can give for that”
JENNIE followed with her own message to BLINKs on 17 August after completing previously scheduled festival appearances.
Writing on Weverse, she explained that she had been thinking about the anniversary and was saddened that she had not been able to properly speak to fans about how she felt.
“These past 10 years have given me some of the most special moments of my life, all because of you,” JENNIE wrote.
She went on to directly acknowledge the disappointment surrounding the milestone.
“Our 10th anniversary should have been a moment where we could just celebrate and be happy together, and I’m sorry that instead, some of you were left feeling disappointed,” she said. “There’s really no excuse I can give for that.”
JENNIE thanked BLINKs for supporting BLACKPINK throughout the past decade and said she would continue growing and doing her best to return the love the group has received.
BLACKPINK and BLINKs look beyond the anniversary
The controversy arrived during what was intended to be a major milestone for BLACKPINK and their fandom.
Some online criticism also focused on the members’ demeanour during the anniversary livestream. JISOO received praise from some fans for directly addressing concerns, while JENNIE, ROSÉ, and LISA faced criticism from some netizens over how they appeared during the broadcast.
Those reactions, however, reflected interpretations from online commenters rather than statements of intent from the members themselves. All four have since addressed BLINKs in messages acknowledging the disappointment surrounding the anniversary.
For BLACKPINK, the occasion nevertheless marks 10 years shared with a fandom that has followed the group from their 2016 debut to their position as one of K-pop’s biggest global acts.
As ROSÉ put it in her message to fans: “Although all of us were left with some disappointment, I sincerely want to congratulate us once again. Let’s make many more wonderful memories together.”
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