NewJeans‘ agency ADOR said Tuesday that it will enhance security measures for the girl group’s upcoming fan meet and greet in Japan following a post threatening a knife attack on the group’s members.
“We are currently preparing to tighten security with the event organizer in Japan,” ADOR said Tuesday, adding that the agency is cooperating with the police to catch the person who posted the threat.
A post titled “Bought this for NewJeans’ concert” was uploaded on Monday to online platform DC Inside. It included a picture of what appears to be a Japanese cooking knife. The description said: “For stabbing NewJeans one by one as they get off their van.” The post cannot be found as of Tuesday.
The girl group is set to hold its first fan meet and greet titled “Bunnies Camp 2024” in Tokyo Dome on Wednesday and Thursday to promote its new debut Japanese single “Supernatural,” released on June 21.
The picture of the Japanese cooking knife is suspected to have been taken from an e-commerce website 11Street, as the same photograph is being used in the sales information for a Japanese cooking knife on the site priced at 28,800 won ($20.80).
Fans of NewJeans have been posting on social media that they reported the incident to the police since Monday.
This is not the first time a girl group was the target of stabbing threats. Winter of girl group aespa was threatened by a post online in August last year. Her agency, SM Entertainment, reported the writer of the post to the police and strengthened aespa’s security detail. Jang Won-young of girl group IVE was threatened in May, and her agency also strengthened security in response.
To find out more about NewJeans, visit Celeb Confirmed!
BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [kim.minyoung5@joongang.co.kr]
