King Charles III honors K-pop girl group Blackpink during South Korean president’s state visit

LONDON (AP) — King Charles III honored the K-pop band Blackpink on Wednesday, saluting their work in raising awareness among young people about the threat of climate change.

On the second day of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’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.

“I applaud Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa and Rose, better known collectively as Blackpink, for their role in bringing the message of environmental sustainability to a global audience,” Charles said at the banquet. “I can only admire how they can prioritize these vital issues, as well as being global superstars.”