Group BLACKPINK has written another milestone in South Korea's pop culture history by becoming the first K-pop girl group to receive the Okgwan Order of Cultural Merit.

BLACKPINK was named a recipient of the Okgwan Order of Cultural Merit at the 17th Korea Popular Culture and Arts Awards ceremony held on the 29th at the Haeorum Grand Theater of the National Theater of Korea in Jung-gu, Seoul. This achievement holds even greater significance as it comes in the group's 10th debut anniversary year.

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-level honor in the field of popular culture and arts. Recipients and the grade of honors are determined through a comprehensive review of their public service period, performance records, and social contributions.

BLACKPINK is the first K-pop girl group to receive the Okgwan Order of Cultural Merit, which is the 4th class of the Order of Cultural Merit. The group received high praise for their contributions to spreading the Korean Wave and elevating the status of K-pop through active group and solo careers on the global stage.

Through YG Entertainment on the 30th, BLACKPINK shared their thoughts, saying, "We are happy and honored to receive this meaningful Order of Cultural Merit. We sincerely thank the public who has loved our music for a long time and Blink (fandom name) who has always supported us by our side. We will continue to work hard to become artists who deliver comfort and emotion through good music."

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

Following this, with their 3rd mini-album "DEADLINE" released this year, they set a new record for the highest initial sales in K-pop girl group history (1,774,577 copies based on the Hanteo Chart) and successfully concluded a world tour spanning 33 shows across 16 cities, further solidifying their position as top global artists.

(Photo courtesy of YG Entertainment)

Reporter Kang Sun-ae

(SBS Entertainment News, Reporter Kang Sun-ae)