BLACKPINK Attends Palace Banquet During South Korea State Visit — with a Shout Out from King Charles!
Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa and Rosé seemed delighted by a compliment from King Charles
British and music royalty collided at the state banquet at Buckingham Palace.
On Tuesday evening, King Charles and Queen Camilla hosted a glittering dinner at the palace in honor of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and First Lady Kim Keon Hee’s state visit to the United Kingdom. Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa and Rosé of the superstar K-POP band BLACKPINK were among the roughly 170 guests in attendance — and even received a shoutout from the King, 76, during his speech.
King Charles began his address with a welcome in Korean, which was met with applause, and praised the relationship that South Korea and Great Britain share, further commending South Korea’s strides in sustainability — a longtime cause close to heart for sovereign — and BLACKPINK’s impact.
“It is especially inspiring to see Korea’s younger generation embrace the cause,” King Charles said. “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 U.K.’s Presidency of COP 26, and later as advocates for the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals.”
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As seen in Sky News video shared to X by Pop Base, the BLACKPINK squad exchanged sweet glances during the King’s shout-out from their separate seats.
“I can only admire how they can prioritize these vital issues, as well as being global superstars,” Charles continued. “Sadly, when I was in Seoul all those years ago, I am not sure I developed much of what might be called the Gangnam Style!” he said, referencing his last visit to the South Korean capital in 1992 (with Princess Diana, weeks before it was announced they were separating) and the viral hit song by South Korean singer Psy released in 2013.
Earlier in the address, the King touched on how Korea's influence on pop culture rivals the reach of the United Kingdom.
"Korea has matched Danny Boyle with Bong Joon-ho, James Bond with Squid Game and the Beatles' 'Let It Be' with BTS’s 'Dynamite,' " he said. "Our cultures share a remarkable ability to captivate imaginations across the world, transforming a so-called soft power into a shared superpower."
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BLACKPINK made history at BST Hyde Park in July and became the first Korean band to headline a major U.K. music festival, the BBC reported. The high followed a similar record smashed at Coachella in the U.S., where BLACKPINK became the first Asian and first all-female group to headline, according to The Guardian.
Heeding the white-tie dress code that state banquets dictate, Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa and Rosé stylishly arrived at Buckingham Palace in glam gowns. The pop stars entered together before taking their seats at the diplomatic dinner, which closed the first day of President Yoon’s visit.
Kate Middleton and Prince William were also at the evening event, and they conducted the important duty of greeting the presidential couple at their hotel in London on behalf of King Charles earlier on Tuesday.
They then traveled together to Horse Guards Parade, where they joined King Charles and Queen Camilla for the ceremonial welcome, which included two ceremonial gun salutes (at Green Park and the Tower of London) of 41 shots sounding across the city.
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After a royal salute, the Republic of Korea’s national anthem was played and the president, accompanied by King Charles, carried out the official inspection by walking along the Guard of Honour of F Company Scots Guards. The formal ceremony ended with the president and first lady joining King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William and Princess Kate in a carriage procession along The Mall to Buckingham Palace.
After being greeted by a second Guard of Honour of the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, the King and Queen hosted a special exhibition in the Picture Gallery of items from the Royal Collection relating to the Republic of Korea, plus a private lunch for their guests.
The president and first lady later participated in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Korean War Memorial to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the war before they partake in another traditional stop-off for any incoming state visit: a trip to Westminster Abbey, where tribute will be made in the form of a wreath laying at the Grave of the Unknown Warrior.
This is the second state visit that King Charles has hosted since he became monarch in September 2022. The first was the occasion when the President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa came to London last November.
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