Did K-pop group BLACKPINK disband as of September 26, 2023? No, that's not true: Despite reports of one member rejecting a contract renewal offer, the group or the record label have not made any announcement on their disbandment.
The claim appeared in a video (archived here) published by @bored._.af9 on TikTok on September 17, 2023, with the following caption, translated from Korean to English by Lead Stories staff: "They got me int [sic] kpop #disbanding #Blink #Blackpink."
The text on the video, in English, reads:
BLACKPINK is disbanding today.
This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing:
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Wed Sep 20 00:17:34 2023 UTC)
There is no evidence that BLACKPINK disbanded, however. The group's social media accounts have been active as of September 26, 2023, with no mention of disbandment or of a hiatus. The Instagram accounts for members Rosé, Jennie, Jisoo and Lisa also do not mention disbanding, and the group's management label, YG Entertainment (YG), did not publish any announcement on its official website.
K-pop groups usually have seven-year contracts due to standards set by the Fair Trade Commission and often disband after the term is completed - sometimes this is referred to as the "seven-year jinx." BLACKPINK debuted on August 8, 2016, and is reportedly discussing contract renewals with YG in 2023.
Speculations that Thailand-born member Lisa was facing issues with contract negotiations started circulating in July. She has since reportedly rejected two offers from YG worth 50 billion South Korean won, or about $37.6 million, according to a September 14, 2023, Star News article.
On September 15, 2023, an entertainment news outlet, TVReport, cited a YG spokesperson as saying:
Contract renewal discussions with Lisa are ongoing. The rumor has not been confirmed.
(Translation from Korean to English by Lead Stories staff).
Following Lisa's rumored offer rejections, reports of YG's shares falling on September 15, 2023, its largest one-day drop in nearly a year, were picked up by U.S. business news outlet CNBC.
BLACKPINK completed its "Born Pink" world tour on September 17, 2023, and there are no upcoming events listed on the group's website.
On September 21, 2023, reports of Rosé being the only member to renew her contract were followed on September 25, 2023, by additional reports of members Jisoo and Jennie setting up their own agencies. Both claims were denied by YG, according to The Korea Daily and Korea Times, noting that nothing has been confirmed regarding BLACKPINK's contract renewal as well as the group's future activities.
