Blackpink and NewJeans Twitter Controversy: Inside the “Apologize to Lisa” Hashtag

Earlier this week, Twitter erupted into a frenzy after Blackpink‘s main dancer, Lisa Manoban, was publicly shamed online by a popular fan account of another K-pop girl group, NewJeans. Now, the hashtag “APOLOGIZE TO LISA” is trending on Twitter, and it has already been spread across at least 370k posts.

It all began when Pop Crave shared photos of Lisa swimming during what appears to be a vacation. “Blackpink’s Lisa looks amazing in new photos,” read Pop Crave’s caption. This is when NewJeans Global posted the comment that shook up the fanbases of both K-pop girl groups. “She looks terrible,” the NewJeans fan account wrote in their comment, which was also littered with several offensive emojis.

RELATED: NewJeans Beats ‘Barbie: The Album’ on Billboard 200 Chart

NewJeans Global had 145,000 followers on Twitter, but the account has since been deleted. After the backlash from the comment, NewJeans Global claimed the comment was not actually made by anyone affiliated with the account. “I don’t know if you guys noticed but we’re actively being hacked right now. We don’t know what is going on at all,” NewJeans Global wrote.

Several Blackpink fans shared their outrage over the comment on Twitter. “It wasn’t hacked. It’s the hatred fuelled by the jealousy because this Thai Woman right here, the person you insulted, is the most successful Kpop Solo Artist and it’s not the people you stan,” one Twitter user wrote.

Another fan account questioned NewJeans Global’s sincerity after the account released an official statement. “’We had no control over this incident.’ You literally paid for blue check and that includes assurance from the Twitter X that YOUR ACCOUNT WOULD NEVER BE HACKED unless you allowed them to access on your account,” the Lisa fan account wrote. “APOLOGIZE TO LISA @NEWJEANSGLOBAL“

“Please excuse us for our incompetence, we went private to avoid suspension due to the replies and comments we’ve been getting,” NewJeans Global wrote in an official statement on Twitter. “We also apologize to Lisa for this inconvenience, we are not the people responsible for this act, our team would never lie about this. We built this account off of protecting and supporting young women, we would never gain off of hating one, please understand.” NewJeans Global claimed they have received death threats prior to the account being deleted.

NewJeans released their sophomore EP, Get Up, on July 21. The album topped Billboard’s 200 chart, and even beat out Barbie: The Album. Blackpink released their second studio album, Born Pink, on September 16, 2022.