Director Bong Joon-ho, left, and actor Robert Pattinson pose upon arrival for the screening of the film "Mickey 17" at the Berlin International Film Festival, Berlinale, on Feb. 15. AP-Yonhap
Why leave out Lisa? Thai fans lash out at Bong
By KTimes
Director Bong Joon-ho, currently in the spotlight for his new film "Mickey 17," is facing criticism from Thai netizens, who accuse him of "racial discrimination" against BLACKPINK member Lisa, according to News1 and other outlets.
YouTube channel BuzzFeed Celeb released an interview featuring Bong on Tuesday. When asked about his favorite K-pop group, he responded with "BLACKPINK." However, when asked about his favorite members, he named "Rosé, Jisoo and Jennie" before adding, "Everyone."
The interview was conducted as part of promotions for "Mickey 17," which had its world premiere in Korea on Feb. 28. Given its "puppy interview" concept, Bong displayed his signature humor and warmth, even cheering on a puppy as it relieved itself by exclaiming, "Poop!" — a moment that amused viewers.
Many were surprised that Bong, at 55 years old, was familiar with the names of multiple BLACKPINK members. The director has mentioned the group in past interviews, including on JTBC Newsroom on Feb. 9 and during a press conference on Feb. 20.
In those appearances, he referenced the Dec. 3 martial law declaration, saying, "One moment, we were talking about BTS, BLACKPINK and Rosé's 'APT.' charting on Billboard, and then suddenly, martial law was declared — it was surreal."
However, after the BuzzFeed interview was released, some Thai fans took issue with Bong for not mentioning Lisa’s name, interpreting it as a slight against the Thai-born singer. Others went further, accusing him of racism.
Comments such as, "So you know BLACKPINK, but not Lisa? Is it because she’s a foreigner?" and "He never even said her name, so he must not like her," appeared online, seemingly written by non-Korean speakers in Hangul.
BLACKPINK's Lisa, center, performs "Live and Let Die" during the 97th Academy Awards in Hollywood, Los Angeles, on March 2. AP-Yonhap
The backlash intensified on X, where numerous posts accused Bong of racism, with some resorting to personal attacks.
In response, many Korean netizens found the controversy baffling. Comments included, "At his age, even knowing three members is impressive," "It’s not like he deliberately left her out — he probably just forgot in the moment," and "Now this is being made into an issue?" expressing their frustration over the accusations.
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.
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