[Edaily Reporter Son Eui-Yeon ] The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) is considering whether to conduct an audit regarding the controversy surrounding BLACKPINK’s 10th-anniversary fan meeting held at the National Museum of Korea.

According to entertainment industry sources on the 10th, BLACKPINK held a 10th-anniversary “Meet & Greet” event on the 8th at the National Museum of Korea in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. All BLACKPINK members and 40 fans selected by lottery attended the event.

However, controversy arose over the fact that a fan meeting for an idol group was held at the National Museum of Korea, a public institution.

This comes as reports emerged that citizens experienced inconvenience on the day of the event, including the restriction of access to certain areas and changes to workshop schedules.

Criticism was also raised that Blackpink received preferential treatment, given that they had collaborated with the National Museum of Korea on a project following their comeback with “Deadline” last February and had unveiled the “Blackpink Heritage Collection” in partnership with the museum’s merchandise brand, Mooze, to commemorate their 10th anniversary.

In fact, artist Lee Da, who led a drawing workshop and guided visitors through the museum’s special exhibition “Amazing Thailand” that day, revealed on her social media that, at the request of museum officials, she was unable to start the exhibition tour on time and had to extend the duration of the theoretical lecture.

In connection with this, complaints requesting an audit have been filed with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. It is reported that the complaints call for an investigation into the fairness of the venue rental process and the appropriateness of the event’s execution.

An official from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism stated, “We are currently receiving complaints requesting an audit, and we will review the relevant materials before deciding whether to actually proceed with an audit.”