YG has reasons for this delaying the official announcement about BLACKPINK’s resigning
The Korean media has continued to report on the contract status of BLACKPINK members. On September 25th, there were reports that Jisoo and Jennie were each planning to establish their own agencies. However, both of them reportedly expressed their wish to continue BLACKPINK’s group activities under YG.
In response to this, YG reiterated, “Nothing has been confirmed regarding BLACKPINK’s contract renewal or future activities.”
BLACKPINK’s exclusive contract with YG ended in August, but as of now, there has been no official information provided by YG. Various speculations have arisen since BLACKPINK’s contract expiration.
Information about Lisa receiving contract offers worth tens of billions of won from foreign agencies in countries like China and Thailand has been circulating for a while. There were recent reports that she had agreed to sign with an American recording label. Jisoo is revealed to be focusing on her acting career, while Jennie is seeking support for her solo career instead of relying on YG. There have been numerous speculations about the accuracy of these reports. Ultimately, it’s believed that Rosé is the only BLACKPINK member expected to re-sign with YG.
Despite all this, YG keeps repeating the stance of “nothing has been confirmed” whenever Korean media reports on BLACKPINK’s contracts. Many fans are growing frustrated with YG.
It’s certainly difficult for YG to confirm their position. Currently, BIGBANG and iKON are no longer active, and the group WINNER is on a break due to military enlistment. TREASURE is still a rookie and the debut of BABYMONSTER has been postponed.
YG has earned over 350 billion won (approximately 265 million USD) in profit from BLACKPINK’s world tour. At this point, if YG fails to convince BLACKPINK to renew their contracts, the company will face severe consequences.
In reality, YG’s stock prices are plummeting due to uncertainty about whether BLACKPINK will renew their contracts.
The possibility of BLACKPINK’s full-group activities if members leave YG
BLACKPINK members want to continue promoting as a group even after leaving the company. But whether YG accepts this or not remains unclear.
According to Sports Seoul, Rosé has confirmed her contract renewal with YG, while the remaining three members – Jennie, Jisoo, and Lisa – are in the final stages of negotiations. The members have agreed to a special arrangement that allows them to continue their activities as BLACKPINK for six months each year, even if they are signed with different companies. In K-pop, several groups are active this way, such as Mamamoo and Girls’ Generation.
Will YG release negative articles if BLACKPINK members reject contract renewal?
Many netizens view these rumors as media play. Some even speculate that YG might publish negative articles about members who don’t renew their contracts.
Some commented, “I think contract renewal negotiations have failed a long time ago, but YG can’t give up until the last minute. So, what they are doing now is negotiating how much money needs to be paid. BLACKPINK members will promote as a group, and YG will profit from that. But I think the issue remains unresolved, so it will drag on. If this doesn’t reach an agreement and ultimately fails, I think – given YG’s style – they might make things difficult for the members in the future, spreading negative articles about them.”
On the contrary, many fans defend YG: “The reports about the members establishing their companies are unverified… YG has denied those claims,” “I have a feeling they will do the same thing they did with 2NE1,” “I think YG is betting everything on BLACKPINK’s staying as a group, that’s why they haven’t debuted BABYMONSTER yet,” “I don’t think YG will prevent the members from solo activities,” “This makes no sense; YG treats their artists fairly well. I don’t think YG will block their solo activities.”
