ブラックピンク公演ＨＰに中国「九段線」　ベトナム当局調査

【マニラＡＦＰ＝時事】ベトナム当局は、今月首都ハノイで開催が予定されている韓国の人気音楽グループ「ブラックピンク」のコンサートの公式ウェブサイトに、南シナ海における中国独自の境界線「九段線」を示した地図が掲載されているとの報告を受け、調査を開始した。ソーシャルメディアユーザーからの苦情だった。（写真は米カリフォルニア州インディオで開催されたコーチェラ・バレー・ミュージック＆アートフェスティバルのステージに登場した「ブラックピンク」〈資料写真〉）
　ブラックピンクは今月末にハノイで２回のコンサートを予定している。同市で国際的な人気アーティストが公演するのはまれで、ファンの間で期待が高まっている。
　しかし今週に入り、コンサートを主催する中国・北京のイベント会社ｉＭＥが、公式サイトのトップページで「九段線」を示した地図を使用しているとの指摘が、ソーシャルメディア上で相次いだ。
　フェイスブックやティックトックの一部ユーザーは、コンサートのボイコットを呼び掛けた。チケットの販売開始は７日に予定されている。
　文化省は５日、「本件を調査するための手続き」に着手すると発表した。
　ベトナムでは今週、近く公開予定の映画『バービー』に九段線を示した地図が登場するとして、当局が映画館での上映禁止を発表したばかり。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2023/07/07-16:36）

The organiser of a Blackpink concert in Hanoi has apologised after its website featured a map showing China's territorial claims in the South China Sea, prompting a backlash on social media.
K-pop megastar girl group Blackpink is due to host two concerts in the Vietnamese capital in late July.
News of the performance has generated a huge amount of excitement in the city, which rarely hosts big-name international artists.
But early this week, reports surfaced on social media saying iME, an event and entertainment company headquartered in Beijing, used a map on the front page of its website featuring the nine-dash line.
China has long used the line to illustrate its expansive claims over most of the resource-rich South China Sea, often to the displeasure of Hanoi, which also claims parts of the waterway.
Some Facebook and TikTok users demanded a boycott of the concerts.
On the Blackpink Vietnam FC (fan club) Facebook page, one comment read: In support of Vietnam, we'd better... not attend entertainment shows organised by iME.
Another read: This concerns the territorial claim of a country. Although I like Blackpink, we should raise our voice.
On Thursday, a day before tickets were due to go on sale, Brian Chow, CEO of iME, said in a statement that the incident was an unfortunate misunderstanding.
The image of the map on the website does not represent the territory of any country and we are aware of respecting the sovereignty and culture of all the countries where iME has a presence.
IME quickly reviewed and committed to replace the images that are not suitable for Vietnamese, the statement added.
It also said it had sent a written explanation of the incident to the Hanoi department of culture and sports and other relevant authorities.
The apology came after Vietnam's ministry of culture and information said Wednesday it was starting procedures to look into the incident.
During a regular press briefing on Thursday, ministry of foreign affairs spokesperson Pham Thu Hang admitted Blackpink's Vietnam show had become a hot-button issue.
Earlier this week, Vietnam authorities said they had banned the upcoming Barbie movie from cinemas over scenes showing the same map.
The promotion and usage of products or publications featuring the 'nine-dash line' in Vietnam is a violation of Vietnam's laws and is unacceptable, Hang said.
The South China Sea is home to valuable oil and gas deposits and shipping lanes, and several of China's neighbours have voiced concern that Beijing is seeking to expand its reach.