BLACKPINK and Lady Gaga were invited to perform at the White House in 2023, but the performance never happened. While no reasons were cited before, recent claims suggested that it was due to South Korea's former First Lady Kim Keon Hee's discomfort with "young women."
The proposed performance was intended to take place during then-President Yoon Suk-yeol's state visit to the United States in April 2023. According to reports, U.S. First Lady Jill Biden had suggested the collaborative performance, which was to be held at Carnegie Hall in New York City.
The controversy reignited when Park Ji Won and Park Sun Won, lawmakers from the Democratic Party of Korea and former members of the National Intelligence Service, claimed that Kim Keon Hee personally canceled the event because she disliked being around younger women. The allegations quickly spread on social media, leading to criticism of the former First Lady.
here, this man talks about how in 2023, before Yoon Suk-yeol’s state visit, Jill Biden suggested a Lady Gaga x BLACKPINK performance multiple times but Kim Keon-hee (First Lady of Korea) allegedly rejected it because she dislikes being around younger womenpic.twitter.com/NSdx3GPV57
— ☘︎ (@lalisasproperty) February 14, 2025
"Women be women's own biggest opps sometimes," one comment read.
"If it's true, then it's so creepy," another comment read.
Read more: BLACKPINK Fans Disappointed After 2025 World Tour Will Only Hit 10 Cities: 'Where's the Rest of It?'
How Did Officials Respond to the Claims?
After the videos and comments went viral, multiple former and current presidential officials dismissed the allegations as untrue. They explained that the White House performance was canceled due to financial issues, not any supposed opposition from Kim.
The officials further added that BLACKPINK had already agreed to perform without a separate guarantee fee. However, the costs of hiring staff members for the event, preparing the concert, and inviting Lady Gaga were still too burdensome to be covered by the American and South Korean governments.
The controversy also illuminated the internal tensions within the South Korean government at the time. President Yoon Suk-yeol reportedly reprimanded National Security Office officials for not reporting the U.S. proposal, leading to the resignation of some foreign affairs officials, including Kim Sung Han, the former National Security Advisor.
The opposition party also suspects there is a political intention to attack Kim by bringing up the Blackpink performance from two years ago.
