OSAKA – K-pop girl group Blackpink performed without Jisoo, who has Covid-19, for the first time on their Born Pink World Tour over the weekend, reported various media.

The 28-year-old had tested positive on June 1 and their management agency announced that she would not be performing in their two Osaka gigs, saying: “Jisoo was determined to perform, wanting to keep her promise with Blackpink fans who have been waiting for a long time, but decided not to participate in the concert for the artiste’s health and the safety of all.”

She also posted a heartfelt message on Instagram, apologising for not being able to meet her Japanese fans.

However, she still made her presence felt at the Kyocera Dome Osaka, as Jennie, 27, Rose, 26, and Lisa, 26, found ways to include her in their performance last Saturday.

At one point, they held up their microphones when her part came on in a song. Lisa also carried a plush doll representing Jisoo during the show.

The concerts also retained the segment which would have been Jisoo’s solo performance, with a video clip of her dancing to her solo hit, Flower, playing instead.

The audience was asked to join in: “Let’s sing as if Jisoo, who is in South Korea, could hear us.”

The other three members performed her viral Flower dance at the end of the concert and chanted her name.

They also posed for photos around an imaginary Jisoo, leaving a space for her and pretending to interact with her with their hand gestures.