Blackpink's Lisa may leave YG Entertainment, reports say

Lisa from girl group Blackpink [NEWS1]

Lisa from girl group Blackpink is rumored to leave her current agency YG Entertainment when her exclusive contract expires in August, according to media reports.

This August marks the seventh anniversary of the girl group that debuted in 2016 and is likely when the quartet's exclusive contract with YG Entertainment will expire if it follows the industry standard of seven years.

The length of exclusive contracts between an artist and an agency in Korea typically stays under seven years as the Korea Fair Trade Commission in 2009 set the recommended maximum length of such contracts at seven years in its adhesion contract format.

Lisa and YG Entertainment failed to reach an agreement on extending her exclusive contract due to a significant difference in opinion regarding the contract, according to a media report Wednesday.

The report also said agencies are having difficulty fixing a schedule with Lisa and YG Entertainment due to the uncertainty of the exclusive contract.

YG Entertainment said the same day that the scheduling difficulty is due to the group's tour and Lisa's schedules, which are "irrelevant to the contract."

Blackpink is currently holding its second world tour, "Born Pink," kicking off with performances at the KSPO Dome in southern Seoul last October.

The quartet's last announced concerts will be held in August in the United States.

It was also rumored that Lisa is in a romantic relationship with Frédéric Arnault, the CEO of luxury watch company TAG Heuer and the son of Bernard Arnault, chairman and CEO of LVMH.

Videos and photos of Lisa and Frédéric together in Paris circulated online this week, and multiple media outlets reported on the rumors.

Skeptics said that the photo was taken during Lisa's meeting with Celine, an LVMH company, for which she has been serving as its global brand ambassador since 2020.

YG Entertainment did not release any official statement regarding the rumor.

To find out more about Lisa and Blackpink, visit Celeb Confirmed!

BY CHO YONG-JUN [cho.yongjun1@joongang.co.kr]