In the article titled, “You’d probably never heard of Korean K-Pop sensations Blackpink before the King honoured them. But here we reveal how starvation diets, daily weigh-ins and huge pressure to have plastic surgery have left a dark spectre behind the world’s biggest girl band,” the journalist has shed light on the ‘Dark side’ of K-pop, stating, “Bullying, abuse and exploitation are said to be commonplace, with youngsters subjected to gruelling training regimes and daily weigh-ins, as well as being pressurised into plastic surgery and made to sign contracts that mean their every move is controlled.”

However, many fans have taken offense to the use of BLACKPINK in the title that undermines the girl group’s success by stating, “You’d probably never head of the K-pop sensation BLACKPINK before the King honoured them.” 

Additionally, many pointed out that the article was skewed to highlight the aspects of K-pop training only in a negative light without proper research.

These angered fans took to social media to respond to the article, stating: