Lady Gaga and BLACKPINK’s 2023 White House performance was canceled, and the situation hasn’t been resolved yet. Two years later, the same talk has come up again, but with a new twist after a viral video went popular online, claiming that Kim Keon Hee, the former First Lady of South Korea, personally blocked the event because she didn’t like being around young women. Officials have since come forward to refute these claims, stating that financial difficulties were the reason behind the cancellation of the performance.
The allegations stemmed from statements made by the Democratic Party of Korea and former National Intelligence Service personnel Park Ji Won and Park Sun Won, who claimed that Kim Keon Hee was to be held responsible. Several presidential office associates responded to the incident by rejecting these allegations as untrue. A pro-Yoon lawmaker explained in a statement via JoongAng that although BLACKPINK consented to perform without a separate guarantee fee, the costs of doing so, including personnel, production costs, and Lady Gaga’s involvement, were too high for the U.S. and South Korean governments to pay.
Due to the claims’ timing and nature, many fans are still dubious. Some accept the official explanation, which attributes the cancelation to logistical difficulties and exorbitant expenses that made it impossible for both governments to successfully prepare and finance.
