Vietnam Concert Organizer Apologizes After Blackpink Entangled in China Map Controversy

The organizer of Blackpink’s Vietnam concerts scheduled for Hanoi later this month apologized for publishing China’s controversial South China Sea territorial map on one of its websites and pledged to remove it, Vietnam National Television VTV reported.

Brian Chow, chief executive of iMe Entertainment Group Asia, said the company would change the image of the map, VnExpress news website reported. The website of iMe was inaccessible Thursday evening.

Read More: Just Where Exactly Did China Get the South China Sea Nine-Dash Line From?

The chief inspector of Vietnam’s culture ministry Le Thanh Liem said the regulator was working to verify the incident first reported on social media and to find a solution, VietnamPlus news website reported.

Vietnam aggressively polices all references to China’s so-called nine-dash-line map in the country, cracking down on navigation apps to Hollywood movies. Vietnam earlier this week announced it was banning the movie Barbie from its cinemas due to a scene that shows the map.

Read More: Barbie Is Just the Latest Hollywood Film to Get Caught in the Crossfire of Asian Geopolitics

China claims more than 80% of the South China Sea and backs up its claim with a 1947 map that shows vague dashes — the nine-dash line — looping down to a point about 1,100 miles (1,800 kilometers) south of its Hainan island. Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan claim parts of the same maritime area, and have sparred with China over which claims are valid.

The popular girl band is scheduled to perform in Vietnam’s capital July 29 and 30.