The organizer has removed the 'Chinese territorial claim' from the map website... The authorities made the decision after careful consideration.
Despite the controversy over the South China Sea's territorial claims, K-pop girl group BLACKPINK has been allowed to proceed with their scheduled concert in Hanoi, Vietnam.
According to local media Vietnamnet, the Hanoi People's Committee announced that they have granted permission for the BLACKPINK World Tour concert to be held at the My Dinh National Stadium on the 29th and 30th of this month.
The authorities anticipate a total of around 36,000 and 31,000 spectators attending each day and have requested relevant agencies to establish safety measures.
Earlier, there were discussions on social media regarding a map of the South China Sea reflecting China's territorial claims on iME's website, the organizer of BLACKPINK's tour.
In response, the Vietnamese Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism conducted an investigation, and the company deleted the problematic map image from their website.
However, the approval for the concert was still subject to scrutiny, as the government has taken a firm stance in dealing with disputes related to territorial claims. Even the Prime Minister's office has scrutinized whether the event should be held.
The South China Sea is a region where multiple Southeast Asian countries, including China and Vietnam, have conflicting claims over territorial rights.
China has drawn the controversial Nine-Dash Line in the South China Sea, asserting that about 90% of the area within it belongs to their territory.
However, in 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled that this claim lacked legal basis under international law.
Vietnam has taken a strict approach to any content that contradicts the government's official stance on the South China Sea issue and has imposed bans on broadcasting or screening such materials.
Recently, Hollywood film "Barbie," scheduled for release on the 21st of this month, was prohibited from being shown in Vietnam due to scenes displaying the Nine-Dash Line.
Additionally, the Chinese drama "Flight to You" was also removed from Netflix Vietnam's list due to the same reason.
<Translated by=Gawon Park(Dispatch)>
