Moment K-pop mania takes over the royal court as Coldstream Guards band Psy performs global hit Gangnam Style on the forecourt of Buckingham Palace
- The Coldstream Guards band also played BLACKPINK’s Dudu-Du, Ddu-Du
This is when K-pop mania took over the royal court today as Coldstream Guards band Psy’s hit Gangnam Style played on the forecourt of Buckingham Palace.
The group also performed the song Dudu-Du, Ddu-Du by BLACKPINK, a South Korean girl band that attended the state banquet at Buckingham Palace last night.
King Charles appeared delighted to meet the ‘K-pop’ group – dubbed ‘the biggest girl band in the world’ – to make them honorary members of the Order of the British Empire (MBEs) at Buckingham Palace.
The moment came midway through a three-day state visit by the President of the Republic of Korea to Britain, where he is about to sign a major partnership agreement with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, which will strengthen ties in areas as diverse as trade, military and technology.
Korean culture has seen an explosion in popularity, with the music known as K-pop becoming a global youth phenomenon.
Footage shows the Coldstream Guards performing the upbeat pop hits on the forecourts of Buckingham Palace today during the three-day visit.
The Coldstream Guards band played Psy’s hit Gangnam Style on the forecourt of Buckingham Palace
The group also performed the song Dudu-Du, Ddu-Du by BLACKPINK, a South Korean girl band that attended the state banquet at Buckingham Palace last night.
The members of BLACKPINK pose with their honorary MBEs awarded to them in recognition of the band’s role as advocates for COP26 ahead of the 2021 COP26 Glasgow Summit
Alongside bands like BTS, Blackpink is at the forefront of the genre, shattering records including most subscribed and viewed music artist on YouTube and highest-grossing tour by a female group.
Now they have very British gongs to add to their growing list of accolades, on the recommendation of the government, with His Majesty holding a special investiture the day after they were among the guests of honor at a state banquet in honor of the Korean leader and his wife .
Roseanne Park (known as Rosé), Jennie Kim, Jisoo Kim and Lalisa Manoban (known as Lisa) were awarded honorary MBEs in recognition of the band’s role as advocates for the UK government at the 2021 COP26 summit in Glasgow.
Through this role, the band encouraged millions of young people to participate in the UN global conference on climate change, held in Scotland, and the topic of climate action.
The group released a series of videos aimed at encouraging young people to learn more about climate change, which the government said resulted in “significantly greater engagement” at the top from young audiences.
The band has subsequently been appointed as global ambassadors for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Arriving at the palace in a series of gray and black outfits, decidedly more subdued than their usual provocative looks, the girls lined up and were each presented with their medals by a smiling Charles in the Chamber of 1844.
Korean culture has seen an explosion in popularity, with the music known as K-pop becoming a global youth phenomenon
Footage shows the Coldstream Guards performing upbeat pop hits on the forecourts of Buckingham Palace during the state visit
King Charles presents BLACKPINK members with honorary MBEs
Queen Camilla, King Charles, President of South Korea Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee before the state banquet last night
The members of BLACKPINK attended the state banquet at Buckingham Palace last night
They then posed for official photos, including one with the President of the Republic of Korea and the First Lady, who were there to witness the moment.
With dual New Zealand citizenship, Rosé’s MBE is classified as ‘substantive’ (as opposed to just honorary, which goes to foreigners) because she is a national of a British Empire where the monarch is also head of state.
The meeting took place after King Charles referred to the singers in his speech at Tuesday’s state banquet, saying he welcomed their role in bringing the message of environmental sustainability to a wider audience, adding: “I can just admire how they can prioritize these crucial issues. issues, but also as global superstars.’