In an online community, the supposed reason BLACKPINK Jennie was replaced by Han So Hee as a Chum Churum model drew attention. In response, BLINKs defended the idol. What happened?

BLACKPINK Jennie Allegedly 'Fired' As Chum Churum Model Due To Sales Decline

In an online community, an alleged statement explaining why Jennie was "fired" as Chum Churum model, a popular soju brand and was eventually replaced by Han So Hee is circulating among netters and K-pop enthusiasts.

According to the post, the main reason was due to "sales decline."

The quoted statement says:

"Chum Churum replaced its model from (BLACKPINK) Jennie to Han So Hee after more than two years. At first (Chum Churum) tried to reform its image by changing its model to Jennie, but the sales trend gradually declined."

It then compared Jennie's performance to the preceding models of the brand such as Lee Hyori and Bae Suzy, who sat in the position of being Chum Churum models for five and four years, respectively, before passing the baton to the BLACKPINK member.

The quoted statement continued:

"It is unusual in that the previous models, Lee Hyori and Suzy, continued to contract in the long term with (Chum Churum)."

As a result, people who read the statement were surprised after knowing that Jennie was replaced due to sales decline when the idol is a member of the biggest girl group in the world, and she's considered an "It Girl" not only in Korea but abroad.

Due to this, some netters then speculated that it was because Jennie doesn't suit to become a soju model, which is one of the most coveted positions among idols and celebrities as this serves as a huge determinant of how popular a star is in Korea.

Malicious commenters then used this statement to talk bad about Jennie, claiming that it's due to her visuals, her controversies and more.

BLINKs Defend BLACKPINK Jennie, Clarifying the Issue

With the intensifying hateful comments towards Jennie, BLINKs decided to step out to explain the situation.

First, the fandom clarified that a lot mistook the statement as an official position from Chum Churum, when in fact, it was only written as an opinion of a Korean media outlet called, Salgoonews. Thus, the article doesn't reflect the real reason Jennie was replaced by Han So Hee and if the former was indeed fired or if it was her decision to pass the baton to Han due to her busy schedule.

Secondly, BLINKs squashed the claims that Chum Churum suffered from a sales decline after Jennie became their model, rather, it was the opposite. Since the star became the brand's model, Chun Churum's parent company Lotte Chilsung was able to enjoy a 14.9% sales increase in 2022, citing Jennie's influence and impact in the overseas market.

Lastly, BLINKs called out the author of the post for causing the misinformation and criticized them for trying to set up the idol. Fans explained that rather than replacing Han So Hee, Jennie moved to Soonhari Soju which is under Chum Churum, focused on a more global-scale market. 

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Written by Eunice Dawson.