The group BLACKPINK has set another milestone in the history of Korean popular culture by becoming the first K-pop girl group to receive the Okgwan Order of Cultural Merit.

BLACKPINK was selected as a recipient of the Okgwan Order of Cultural Merit at the 17th Korea Popular Culture and Arts Awards ceremony held on October 29 at the Haeoreum Grand Theater of the National Theater of Korea in Jung-gu, Seoul. The achievement holds even greater significance as it comes in the year marking their 10th debut anniversary.

Hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and organized by the Korea Creative Content Agency, the Korea Popular Culture and Arts Awards is the government's highest honor in the field of popular culture and arts. The level of the honor is determined through a comprehensive evaluation of candidates' period of public contribution, activity achievements, and societal contributions.

BLACKPINK is the first K-pop girl group to receive the Okgwan Order of Cultural Merit, which is the fourth class of the Order of Cultural Merit. BLACKPINK was highly recognized for contributing to the spread of the Korean Wave and elevating the status of K-pop through their active endeavors on the global stage via both group and solo activities.

On October 30, BLACKPINK shared their thoughts through YG Entertainment: "We are happy and honored to receive such a meaningful Order of Cultural Merit. We sincerely thank the public who has loved our music for a long time and BLINK, who has always cheered us on by our side. We will continue to strive to be artists who deliver comfort and inspiration through good music."

Previously, BLACKPINK set a record in 2022 as the first Asian female artist to simultaneously top both the U.S. Billboard 200 and the U.K. Official Albums Chart with their second full-length album, "BORN PINK." In February of this year, they also became the first music artist in the world to surpass 100 million YouTube subscribers.

Furthermore, with their third mini album, "DEADLINE," released this year, they set a new first-week sales record for a K-pop girl group (1,774,577 copies based on Hanteo Chart) and successfully wrapped up a world tour spanning a total of 33 shows across 16 cities, continuing to solidify their standing as top global artists.

[Photo=YG Entertainment]

(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Sun-ae)