BLACKPINK received the prestigious award on November 22 during South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol's state visit to the United Kingdom (UK). All four members have received the Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE).
The British order is granted to those who contributed to British society or have achieved outstanding results in various fields such as politics, economics, culture and arts, science, and sports. Members of the Beatles were the first musicians to be honored with the MBE in 1965. In 2013, English singer Adele also won the award.
"I hope BLACKPINK members, who are playing a crucial role in enhancing our national interest, will continue to be involved in such meaningful activities in the future," President Yoon congratulated the artists.
The group members were awarded at Buckingham Palace during an event to encourage experts involved in the culture and art industry. During the ceremony, a British military band played BLACKPINK's dance song "DDU-DU DDU-DU" outside of the palace. The track, released in June 2018, features a unique choreography of shooting handguns. Its music video has garnered some 2.1 billion views on YouTube.
While BTS is considered the leading K-pop boy band, the girl group led the K-pop fandom as an iconic girl band. BLACKPINK became the first K-pop band to perform at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in 2019.
reporter
Kim Joo-heon
jhkim123@ajunews.com
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