SEOUL, Oct. 30 (Yonhap) -- Girl group BLACKPINK, which received the Order of Cultural Merit, said Friday it will "continue striving to become artists who bring comfort and inspiration through good music."
BLACKPINK made the remarks through YG Entertainment, saying, "We are happy and honored to receive such a meaningful Order of Cultural Merit. We sincerely thank the public who have loved our music for so long and 'BLINK' (the name of our fandom), who have always supported us by our side."
BLACKPINK received the Order of Cultural Merit at the 17th Korean Popular Culture and Arts Awards held Thursday at the Haeoreum Grand Theater of the National Theater of Korea in Seoul.
BLACKPINK is the first K-pop girl group to receive the Okgwan Order of Cultural Merit, the fourth-grade Order of Cultural Merit. The group was recognized for contributing to the spread of the Korean Wave through its activities on the global stage, both as a group and as solo artists. The honor carries added significance as this year marks the 10th anniversary of BLACKPINK's debut.
Since debuting in 2016, BLACKPINK set a record in 2022 with its second full-length album, "BORN PINK," becoming the first Asian female artist to top both the U.S. Billboard 200 and the U.K. Official Albums Chart Top 100.
In February this year, the group became the first musical act in the world to surpass 100 million YouTube subscribers.
This year, BLACKPINK's third mini-album, "DEADLINE," recorded 1,774,577 copies in first-week sales, the highest ever for a K-pop girl group album.
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