On Wednesday, King Charles III awarded the K-pop group BLACKPINK for their efforts to increase public awareness of climate change. Jennie Kim, Jisoo Kim, and Lalisa Manoban were named honorary members of the Order of the British Empire by Charles.
Roseanne (Rosé) Park, the bandmate, was also awarded an MBE, but hers did not include the “honorary” qualification because she holds dual citizenship in New Zealand, one of the 14 nations where the head of state of the United Kingdom is the monarch.
The awards were given out at a ceremony held at Buckingham Palace to honour BLACKPINK for their contribution to the promotion of the outcomes of the COP26 climate change summit that took place in Glasgow, Scotland, two years ago. The prizes are a part of the British honours system, which honours exceptional contributions to the country and the international community.
A smile appeared on the faces of Lisa, Jennie, Jisoo, and Rosé as King Charles III handed them the medals. Lisa was dressed in a baby blue dress with a short cape, while Jennie and Jisoo were dressed in black. Rosé went with a grey suit.
During a state dinner on Tuesday honouring Korean President Yoon and First Lady Kim Keon Hee, Charles had praised the K-pop group “for their role in bringing the message of environmental sustainability to a global audience.”
In July, BLACKPINK made history by being the first K-pop group to play as the main act at a major UK music festival. They performed to a sold-out crowd of 65,000 at the BST Hyde Park summer festival in central London.
Breaking records and becoming the most subscribed music artists on YouTube, BLACKPINK has become one of the most successful girl groups in the world since their 2016 debut.
