BLACKPINK Makes History as First K-pop Girl Group to Receive Okgwan Order of Cultural Merit: “We’ll Share Comfort and Inspiration Through Music”

The group BLACKPINK has made history as the first K-pop girl group to receive the Okgwan Order of Cultural Merit.

First K-pop girl group to receive Okgwan Order of Cultural Merit…agency accepts award on the group’s behalf

According to agency YG Entertainment on the 30th, BLACKPINK received the Okgwan Order of Cultural Merit, the fourth-grade cultural merit honor, at the 17th Korea Popular Culture and Arts Awards ceremony held on the 29th at the Haeoreum Grand Theater of the National Theater of Korea in Seoul. BLACKPINK is the first girl group ever to receive the Okgwan Order of Cultural Merit, one of the government’s highest honors in the field of popular culture and arts. The members were unable to attend because of album-related schedules, so an agency representative accepted the award certificate on their behalf from Choi Hwi-young, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

“We’re sincerely grateful to BLINK for always being by our side”

In a statement through their agency, BLACKPINK said they were “happy and honored to receive this meaningful cultural merit award.” They added, “We sincerely thank the public for loving our music for so long and our fandom, BLINK, for always supporting us by our side,” and said, “We’ll continue working to become artists who bring comfort and inspiration through good music.” BLACKPINK, which debuted in 2016 and celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, was highly praised by the government for its contributions to spreading the Korean Wave around the world through both solo and group activities.

From Billboard to album sales…an unending string of firsts and records

The group’s global achievements are unmatched, with a string of mega-hits including “Whistle,” “Playing with Fire,” “DDU-DU DDU-DU,” “Pink Venom” and “Shut Down.” With its 2022 second studio album, 'BORN PINK,' BLACKPINK became the first Asian female artist to simultaneously top the U.S. Billboard 200 and the U.K. Official Albums Chart. In February this year, it also became the first musical act worldwide to surpass 100 million YouTube subscribers. The group continues its top-tier run without slowing down: its third mini-album, 'DEADLINE,' released this year, sold 1,774,577 copies in its first week, once again breaking the all-time first-week sales record for a K-pop girl group.