November 23, 2023
LONDON – King Charles and Queen Camilla hosted a grand dinner at the palace in honor of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and First Lady Kim Keon Hee, who are on a state visit to the UK. The event also celebrated the 140th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries.
Blackpink members were among the roughly 170 guests in attendance. The girl group even received a shoutout from the King, 76, during his speech commending UK-South Korea strides in sustainability.
“It is especially inspiring to see Korea’s younger generation embrace the cause,” said King Charles. “I applaud Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa and Rosé, better known collectively as Blackpink, for their role in bringing the message of environmental sustainability to a global audience as ambassadors for the UK’s Presidency of COP 26, and later as advocates for the UN Sustainable Development Goals.”
Before the banquet started, the pop stars and South Korean delegates were welcomed to the palace by a Horse Guards parade of over 1,000 personnel and two ceremonial gun salutes, from Green Park and the Tower of London, with 41 shots sounding across the city.
Debuting in 2016, Blackpink made history in the UK at BST Hyde Park in July this year and became the first K-pop band to headline the country’s major music festival, the BBC reported.
Earlier this week, Blackpink’s Lalisa “Lisa” Manoban, the only Blackpink member from Thailand, celebrated being included in Spotify’s “Billions Club”, after her hit song “Money” was streamed over 1 billion times on the popular music streaming platform. She is the first K-pop artist to win this award.