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On Wednesday, November 22, 2023, King Charles III of the United Kingdom honored the K-pop sensation BLACKPINK for bringing attention to the impact of climate change among youth by bestowing upon them honorary gongs. This is extensively substantive as the supergroup became the first K-pop act and the first non-British musical act to be bequeathed such an honor.
In acknowledgment of the group's contribution as COP26 Advocates for the COP26 Summit in Glasgow 2021, King Charles III named Jennie Kim, Roseanne Park, Kim Ji-soo, and Lalisa Manoban as Honorary Members of the Order of the British Empire while on a three-day official visit by South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol.
It is important to note that BLACKPINK joined the legendary The Beatles and iconic singer Adele to be entitled as the Musical Artist Honorary Awardees of the MBEs. The Beatles were the first group of artists to earn this honor in 1965, followed by the Rolling In The Deep British singer Adele, who received the award in 2013.
"THEY ARE THE STANDARD": Fans lavish praise on BLACKPINK for their extraordinary accomplishment
Roseanne Park (Rosé) received recognition as well. However, her MBE is particularly noteworthy since she holds dual citizenship with New Zealand. King Charles III is not only the king of the United Kingdom but also the head of state of fourteen kingdoms, one of which being New Zealand, which gained independence from the British Empire in 1947 and kept the constitutional monarchy.
The awards were given out in the 1844 Room at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday morning, November 22, 2023. Later, they posed for pictures in the 1844 Room of Buckingham Palace with Charles and the first lady and president of South Korea. In the summer of 2023, the supergroup became the first Korean act to headline and perform as the main act at a major UK event at Hyde Park.
To add to this accolade, BLACKPINK attended the South Korea-UK State Banquet a day before, on November 21. The royal banquet was hosted at Buckingham Palace. King Charles III lauded the four BLACKPINK members, Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa, and Rosé, for their contribution to raising awareness for environmental sustainability across borders.
To celebrate this extraordinary honor, fans of BLACKPINK rushed to Twitter, presently X, and clamored praises at its members for representing K-pop and South Korea magnificently. Fans flooded social media as they chanted "WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU" and echoed similar pride and congratulatory messages.
The awards are a component of the British honors system, which celebrates exceptional contributions to the country and international community. The awards are honorary to non-citizens of the United Kingdom and people not affiliated with any of the 14 nations.
Meanwhile, executives from YG Entertainment revealed on September 20, 2023, that over a year, BLACKPINK's BORN PINK global tour in 66 shows in 34 locations hosted a remarkable 1.8 million attendees.
When the attendance at Coachella and Hyde Park concerts was considered, the total surpassed 2.11 million. Furthermore, approximately 65,000 spectators attended BLACKPINK's Hyde Park, London concert on July 2, 2023.
