The popular South Korean girl group Blackpink have received honorary Member Of The Order Of The British Empire medals, given to them by King Charles III in a ceremony on Wednesday. The four members of Blackpink — Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa — were welcomed into Buckingham Palace as part of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s state visit to the United Kingdom.

“It’s amazing you’re still talking to each other after all these years,” King Charles III joked at the ceremony. “I hope I shall be able to see you perform live at some point.” Earlier this year, Blackpink became the first K-pop group to headline a major UK festival when they performed at BST Hyde Park in the summer. They’ve been together since 2016.

Formally, Buckingham Palace said that their MBEs were awarded in recognition of the band members’ role as COP26 Advocates for the United Nations climate summit, which was held in Glasgow in 2021.

As part of their trip to the UK, Blackpink also attended a state banquet that look place at Buckingham Palace earlier this week. One of their songs was also performed outside the Palace:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Royal Family (@theroyalfamily)

https://twitter.com/RoyalFamily/status/1727317194458243104