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scene from the trailer for the latest episode of Blackpink’s online reality show, “Blackpink – ’24 / 365 with Blackpink ‘” (YouTube) |
The video was scheduled to be posted on the girl band’s YouTube channel on Saturday.
The decision was made after a trailer released Wednesday caused quite a stir in China because it appeared that the gang members were handling the puppy without wearing sanitary gloves.
Many Chinese netizens said that pandas are national treasures and should not be touched with bare hands because they are vulnerable to disease.
According to the Global Times, in the People’s Daily newspaper of the Communist Party of China on Thursday, a post on the subject on China’s Sina Weibo Twitter had attracted more than 550 million views as of Thursday afternoon. The post said that Korean artists were not handling the animal properly.
In a statement released Saturday, YG Entertainment said the video had been filmed in the presence of professional veterinarians and zoo keepers in accordance with strict sanitary guidelines.
“All Blackpink members wore sanitary gloves, masks and protective clothing when in contact with the baby panda, and also sanitized their hands and shoes during each transition between feedings,” the agency statement said. “However, regarding international cooperative practices and recommendations from panda experts (who say) that non-professionals who have close contact with the baby panda may cause misunderstandings, we decided not to post the related video.”
The cub, Fu Bao, was born in July to the only panda couple in Korea. His parents, Ai Bao and Le Bao, arrived from China in 2016, having been sent here for joint research purposes and as a symbol of the bilateral ties between Korea and China.
By Song Seung-hyun ([email protected])
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