"Missing Hometown Food" Boosts Street Vendor Sales... Blackpink Lisa Named Thailand's Most Influential

28% Choose Lisa in Survey
2nd Place Former Representative Pita of Jeonjin Party

Lisa (Lalisa Manoban), the Thai member of the girl group BLACKPINK, was selected as the most influential figure in Thailand, surpassing even famous local politicians.

According to local media The Nation on the 3rd, a survey conducted by Suan Dusit University from the 20th to the 27th of last month showed that 28.1% of respondents named Lisa as the most influential person in Thailand.

Blackpink Lisa Instagram capture. [Image source=Yonhap News]

The globally renowned K-pop girl group BLACKPINK enjoys immense popularity in Thailand, with Lisa especially regarded as a national hero. Her every move attracts attention through media reports and social media (SNS).

In the past, when Lisa mentioned missing meatballs from street vendors in her hometown Buriram Province, sales at those stalls surged, becoming a hot topic. When she posted photos taken at the tourist site Ayutthaya on social media, the number of visitors to the area significantly increased.

BLACKPINK Lisa [Photo by Yonhap News]

Recently, a Thai media outlet published a column stating, “Lisa deserves respect and praise; she is Thailand’s honor and dignity, and her legacy should be forever engraved in history.”

Lisa was born in a village in Buriram Province, about 400 km from Bangkok, and is known as coming from the so-called ‘Lo So’ (Low Society). In Thailand, the upper class is called ‘High So’ and the common people ‘Lo So.’ To Thais, Lisa is a figure who passed YG Entertainment’s Thailand audition and, after 5 years and 3 months of training, grew into a global star.

BLACKPINK attending a banquet held at Buckingham Palace, UK
Photo by Yonhap News

Among the 7,398 participants in this survey, the second most influential person was Pita Limjaroenrat, former leader of the Move Forward Party (MFP), with 27.5%.

Following were actor and broadcaster Kanchai Kamnerdploy (22.6%), Paetongtarn Shinawatra (12.4%), leader of the ruling Pheu Thai Party and daughter of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, and Antonia Poshield (9.4%), who placed second in Miss Universe 2023.

Regarding the biggest event of last year, 40.1% of respondents cited ‘Move Forward Party’s general election victory.’ Another 12.0% answered ‘May 14 general election.’

The Move Forward Party caused a sensation in last May’s general election by sweeping 32 out of 33 constituencies in Bangkok, becoming the largest party.

At that time, it was a reform party pursuing taboo-breaking monarchy reforms in Thailand, including pledges to amend the l?se-majest? law, gaining explosive support from the younger generation. However, due to opposition from entrenched conservative forces, candidate Pita failed to pass the parliamentary vote for prime minister, resulting in failure to take power.

Besides the Move Forward Party’s election victory, respondents mentioned other major events such as ‘Antonia Poshield’s 2nd place in Miss Universe’ (17.6%), ‘Draft bill allowing same-sex marriage passing parliament’ (15.3%), and ‘Siam Paragon shooting’ (14.7%).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.