BLACKPINK received the Okgwan Order of Cultural Merit at the 17th Korea Popular Culture and Arts Awards, held October 29 at the Haeoreum Theater of the National Theater of Korea in Seoul, according to YG Entertainment as reported by Maeil Business (MK) and Chosunbiz.

The honor, the fourth class among the Orders of Cultural Merit, was given for the group's contribution to spreading the Korean Wave.

Both outlets note this is the first time a K-pop girl group has received the Blue Crown (Okgwan) grade, and the award arrived in the year BLACKPINK celebrates the 10th anniversary of its debut.

The Korea Popular Culture and Arts Awards, hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and organized by KOCCA, are the government's highest honor in popular culture, with candidates reviewed on official tenure, activity achievements and social contribution.

For a devoted K-pop audience, the surprise is the grade itself: Chosunbiz and MK both frame the Okgwan (Blue Crown) order as a fourth-class decoration never before given to a K-pop girl group, meaning BLACKPINK now sits in a tier of state recognition the genre's girl groups had never reached.

Chosunbiz adds that the Korea Popular Culture and Arts Awards are considered the government's top popular-arts honor, and that the group was highly praised for dynamic performances on the global stage both as a unit and as soloists.

BLACKPINK said in a statement quoted by both outlets that they were happy and honored to receive a meaningful cultural medal.

The citations both publishers offer are the records fans already argue over. With 2022's second full-length album "BORN PINK," BLACKPINK became the first Asian female artist to top both the U.S. Billboard 200 and the U.K. Official Albums Chart simultaneously.

In February of this year, the group became the first music artists worldwide to surpass 100 million subscribers on YouTube.

This year's third mini album "DEADLINE" sold 1,774,577 copies in its first week per the Hanteo Chart — a new first-week record for a K-pop girl group, as MK reports — and the group wrapped a "DEADLINE" world tour spanning 33 shows in 16 cities.

Both outlets also note the members' ongoing solo activities in the global market as part of the case for the decoration.

In their statement, quoted by both MK and Chosunbiz, BLACKPINK thanked the public and their fandom BLINK for long support and pledged to keep striving to be artists who deliver comfort and emotion through good music — a promise that lands just after the tour's close.

MK likewise notes the members continue their own solo activities in the global music market.