South Korea’s National Security Advisor Kim Sung-han has resigned after being accused of not informing President Yoon Suk-yeol about Blackpink’s invitation to perform at the White House during the president’s upcoming state visit to the US. Apparently, First Lady Jill Biden invited Blackpink and Lady Gaga to perform at the state dinner, which YG Entertainment confirmed recently. However, according to a news segment from TV Chosun, while many South Korean government officials knew about the invitation from the Bidens, President Yoon was never told. There were reportedly at least six reports related to the invitation that were omitted in March alone. Yoon was reportedly angered when he found out about the invitations through the Foreign Ministry line.
Kim Sung-han was appointed to his role as National Security Advisor a year ago, and had played a crucial role in Yoon’s early campaign days. The two have known each other since they were in elementary school. On Wednesday, Kim announced that he was resigning and returning to academia, where he would hold a position back at Korea University, where he was a professor of Korea-U.S. relations and U.S. diplomatic policy. Kim stated that he did not want to be a “burden” on the administration and wished his successor well. He believes that the upcoming state visit to the US will go smoothly, and that his successor will be able to carry out their duties without a hitch. Kim’s replacement will be Cho Tae-yong, a U.S. envoy.
Recently, South Korea has undergone some personnel changes, including the replacement of its secretaries of protocol and diplomacy, Kim Il-bum and Lee Moon-hee, respectively. Lee was involved in preparing for Yoon’s state visit to the US and his attendance at the Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima, Japan, in May. Meanwhile, Kim Il-bum resigned before the summit between South Korea and Japan on March 12, citing exhaustion.
Blackpink is set to perform in Mexico on April 26 as part of their “Born Pink” world tour, which conflicts with the date of the state dinner at the White House. If the group were to perform at the White House alongside Lady Gaga, it would be their second collaboration since their track “Sour Candy” from Gaga’s 2020 album “Chromatica.” Blackpink is also set to make history as the first K-pop group to headline Coachella next month. On Friday, Jisoo will be the final group member to make her solo debut with the single album “ME,” led by the title track “Flowers.”
Written by Robert D