The K-pop girl group Blackpink attended a dinner at Buckingham Palace on Nov. 21 as a part of President Yoon Seuk Yeol’s state visit to the United Kingdom, marking them as the first female music group to visit King Charles since the Spice Girls in 1997. During the visit, King Charles III awarded Blackpink with the Order of the British Empire award.
“I feel like anytime Korean culture spreads to other countries, it is always good for diplomacy,” Steve Nave, world history teacher, said. “I think as K-pop spreads throughout the world, it is positive for Korea because now more people will purchase their music and more people will want to come and visit Korea, so it will have an economic impact, as well.”
The decision to invite the South Korean president and Blackpink to the banquet at Buckingham Palace was intended to strengthen diplomatic ties between the two nations. Other notable guests of this banquet included Prince William and Princess Kate of Wales, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and South Korean First Lady Kim Keon-hee.
“I think Blackpink is the most successful girl group in the K-pop industry and has exerted significant influence on Korean culture as well as music, fashion, and every other aspect worldwide,” Dyne Kim (10), Blackpink fan, said. “Although other K-pop groups such as Twice, Exo, and BTS also grew globally, I believe that Blackpink is the most influential as they have entered numerous songs into Billboard charts and have received many global awards.”
Even more, King Charles III made Blackpink honorary members of the Order of the British Empire, an honor recognizing outstanding service to the world. This honor was granted to Blackpink due to their promotion of the climate change discussions during the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference and as a recognition of their global fame.
This visit quickly spread across social media, with images of Blackpink members’ outfits, photos of King Charles III presenting Blackpink with awards, and even a video of the Buckingham Palace military band playing “DDU-DU DDU-DU” by Blackpink with the caption “On Wednesdays, we play BLACKPINK” garnering thousands of views on platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, and X.
The outfits that Blackpink wore throughout the entire trip were especially prominent in the social media posts following the event. Fans and fashion magazines such as Vogue praised their regal fashion choices which included dresses from luxury brands such as Dior, shiny high-heeled shoes, sparkly clutches, and diamond necklaces.
“I think this visit was so significant because normally when you have a dinner between two countries, you only invite politicians, but the fact that Blackpink was asked to be there shows how important K-pop is to Korean culture,” Haven Cha (10), K-pop fan, said. “Also, I think it was because of Blackpink that the event spread across social media as much as it did.”
