BLACKPINK fans upset by lewd remarks about Thai member of the group

Thousands of fans of K-pop girl group BLACKPINK have been enraged by the “inappropriate” comments posted by a Bangkok cafe owner about a visit by the Thai superstar member of the group.

Lalisa Manoban, known popularly as Lisa, had uploaded photos on Instagram from a photoshoot at the MQQN Cafe in Bangkok. It was shared to her more than 28.1 million followers.

Showing Lisa posing on the yellow seats of the retro-themed diner last Thursday (Jan 2), the post garnered more than 3.5 million likes and 20,500 comments.

However, instead of it being a New Year’s boon to the cafe, it quickly turned sour when the owner made lewd comments about her visit. He also attempted to sell the furniture she sat on and the cutlery she used.

The owner’s post on Facebook went viral and has now been taken down. Thai fans accused the owner of sexual harassment. He responded to them and apologised for his inappropriate post.

He said that he accepted all criticism and was deeply sorry for what happened. The Facebook page has now been hidden.

The cafe was closed yesterday (Jan 5).

The furore continued on MQQN’s Facebook page, as fans wrote negative one-star reviews and demanded respect for Lisa. They also promised to boycott the cafe.

A fan who urged the boycott commented that the owner was stupid to turn an opportunity into a crisis.

BLACKPINK was formed in 2016, consisting of Thailand-born Lisa, two South Korean members, and one from New Zealand. The group has helped to raise K-pop’s global profile with tens of millions of fans worldwide.

Last year, it was the first female K-pop group invited to perform at the Coachella music festival. In November, the group was in “Time 100 Next”, the magazine’s list of 100 rising stars.

The K-pop group’s hit singles have become successful not just in Asia but all around the world.