Blackpink cancels event after fire

Girl group Blackpink abruptly canceled a meeting with the press scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday to make the release of the new EP “Kill This Love,” out of respect for those traumatized by the enormous fire that tore through Sokcho and Goseong County in Gangwon.

YG Entertainment gave the cancelation notification two hours before the press conference, stating, “We have come to this decision after sharing the pains of the Gangwon residents who have been affected by the Goseong-Sokcho wildfire.”

The fire, which was first reported in Goseong around 7:20 p.m. on Thursday, burned down some 200 houses and forced 4,000 citizens to evacuate, the most damage ever recorded by a wildfire.

“We ask for the understanding of fans who have been waiting for this press conference and the reporters who were making their way to the conference,” the agency wrote.

“We send our most sincere consolation to those who are doing their best to put out the fire and those damaged by the fire.”

Blackpink released their five-track EP on Thursday at midnight. The music video for the title track “Kill This Love” had already surpassed 25 million views within 12 hours of its release.

The cancelation has also raised questions over whether the agency is trying to evade any possible questions regarding its former artist Seungri of Big Bang, who has been charged with soliciting sex services in 2015 and distributing obscene photos and videos on KakaoTalk.

Seungri has been at the center of controversy regarding a club he had a stake in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, named Burning Sun. He quit both his group Big Bang and agency YG Entertainment in March.

By Yoon So-yeon