King Charles III honors K-pop girl group Blackpink during South Korean president's state visit
King Charles III honored the K-pop band Blackpink
LONDON — LONDON (AP) — King Charles III honored the K-pop band Blackpink on Wednesday for their work in raising awareness about climate change, as South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledged closer cooperation between their two countries on technology and defense.
On the second day of Yoon’s three-day state visit to London, Charles made Blackpink members Jennie Kim, Jisoo Kim and Lalisa Manoban honorary Members of the Order of the British Empire.
Bandmate Roseanne (Rosé) Park also received an MBE, though hers came without the “honorary” qualifier because she has dual citizenship in New Zealand, one of the 14 countries where the U.K. monarch is head of state.
The honors were presented during a ceremony at Buckingham Palace in recognition of Blackpink’s role in promoting the work of the COP26 summit on climate change two years ago in Glasgow, Scotland. The awards are part of Britain’s honors system, which recognizes outstanding service to the nation and the wider world.
Charles had lauded the K-pop girl group on Tuesday during a state banquet in honor of Yoon and first lady Kim Keon Hee «for their role in bringing the message of environmental sustainability to a global audience.
“I can only admire how they can prioritize these vital issues, as well as being global superstars,” Charles said at the banquet.
The Korean president is being treated to royal and diplomatic pomp on the visit, which the U.K. government hopes will help cement an “ Indo-Pacific tilt ” in its foreign and trade policy.
Yoon met Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at the British leader's 10 Downing St. residence for talks focused on trade, technology and defense.
To coincide with
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