Following their concert in Macau, the South Korean group BLACKPINK faced a torrent of criticism from Chinese netizens over their remarks, leading them to modify a controversial term.

BLACKPINK held concerts in Macau on the 20th and 21st of last month. After the show, they took to Twitter, saying, "We were deeply touched by our Macanese BLINKs (official fandom name of BLACKPINK) this week," expressing gratitude with, "Thank you for all your hearfelt support. We are truly blessed to have you guys. 520 forever BLINKs."

The word that sparked controversy among Chinese netizens was 'Macanese.' They took offense to the term, interpreting it as an attempt to distinguish between China and Macau. They fired back, questioning, "Why not Chinese BLINKs instead of Macau BLINKs?", "Macau, Hong Kong, and Taiwan are part of China," and "Do you want to fight with the Chinese?"

In response, BLACKPINK revised their statement, changing the term 'Macanese' to 'Macau.' However, some Chinese netizens still reacted by saying, "Why do you say Macau instead of China? China and Macau are one."

 

On this matter, local media outlet Global Times reported, "K-pop girl group BLACKPINK is embroiled in controversy for referring to Macau fans as 'Macanese.' Even though BLACKPINK has modified the word, the criticism from netizens has not subsided."

They added, "The term 'Macanese' refers to Portuguese-born and raised in Macau. It is inappropriate as it cannot represent ordinary Macau citizens."

Macau was under Portuguese colonial rule for 150 years from 1849 and returned to Chinese sovereignty in 1999. It was granted autonomy under the 'One Country, Two Systems' principle. However, in line with the concept of 'One China,' the Chinese government insists that mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan are inseparable.

In particular, Chinese netizens have been criticizing and boycotting celebrities from their own country who attended the BLACKPINK concert in Macau, even going so far as to create a blacklist. This has led to speculation that China may be reinstating its restrictions on Hallyu, the Korean Wave.

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