With all hopes of new music from the girl group seemingly moving farther and farther away, BLINKs are still keeping their eyes peeled for any signs. But nobody could have expected to spot BLACKPINK’s Jisoo retirement from acting—that is, if we could call it a retirement at all. Some fans of the K-pop crew are convinced that this latest development was not even a choice that Jisoo, 25, had any say in herself.
Outrage erupted on April 11 when a fan account on Twitter, @JISOOENT, made the discovery that Jisoo was no longer listed with her acting label, YG Stage. The label—which is an offshoot of BLACKPINK’s record label and entertainment agency, YG Entertainment—shares profiles on its site of each of the actors it represents. Among them were famous South Korean actors like Lee Sung-kyoung, Lee Jong-suk, Nam Joo-hyuk, and formerly, Kim Ji-soo of BLACKPINK. But when the fan account took a recent look at YG Stage’s listings page, Jisoo’s information was no longer anywhere in sight.
Immediately, fans on Twitter pointed out the omission as another YG Entertainment snub against Jisoo. Many BLINKs are convinced the BLACKPINK star has become the subject of unfair treatment within the group, both from their YG bosses and external brand campaigns.
Most recently, Jisoo became the subject of concern after footwear brand Adidas failed to include photos of her in their BLACKPINK campaign, with many fans demanding an apology from the company. Adidas has since reinstated the photos of Jisoo on their site, but her repeated exclusion speaks to a loss of opportunity for the BLACKPINK girls in general.
BLINKs are becoming increasingly concerned after the group came up on a year since they last released new music in early April 2020. Their pleas for a comeback might seem extreme, especially given current tour cancelations and album postponements. But many within the fandom have noted that BLACKPINK’s male contemporaries have already released new music or have forthcoming plans to, whereas the girls have been left hanging for feels like ages.
We’ll have to wait and see what YG Entertainment has up their sleeves next. Hopefully, something good.