Most K-pop trophies come from music shows, award ceremonies and charts. This one comes from the state. On 29 October 2026 the four members of BLACKPINK each received the Okgwan Order of Cultural Merit at the Korea Popular Culture and Arts Awards, held at the National Theater of Korea in Seoul.
The citation pointed to the group's tenth year. It is one of the highest honours a Korean artist can get, and only a handful of K-pop names have received it.
What the order is
The Order of Cultural Merit, munhwa hunjang in Korean, is a state decoration for people who have done a lot for Korean culture. It is conferred in the name of the President; the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism reviews the candidates and announces them.
For pop culture the medals are handed out once a year at the Korea Popular Culture and Arts Awards, which the ministry has held with the Korea Creative Content Agency since 2010. It is the government's highest honour for pop culture. The ceremony also hands out commendations, from the President, the Prime Minister and the Culture Minister, which rank below the order.
Five grades
The order has five grades, each named after a crown. From the highest to the lowest:
- GeumgwanGold Crown, the first class
- EungwanSilver Crown, the second class
- BogwanPrecious Crown, the third class
- OkgwanJade Crown, the fourth class: the one BLACKPINK received
- HwagwanFlower Crown, the fifth class
It is the government's highest honour for pop culture, and only a handful of K-pop names have received it.
Who received it before
The singer Lee Mi-ja received the Silver Crown in 2009, and in 2023 she became the first pop musician to receive the highest grade, the Gold Crown. SM Entertainment founder Lee Soo-man received the Silver Crown in 2011, and in 2013 the singers Cho Yong-pil and Patti Kim did too.
In 2012 PSY received the Jade Crown, the year of "Gangnam Style". In 2018 all seven members of BTS received the Flower Crown, which made them the youngest recipients at the time. In 2025 it was G-Dragon's turn, with the Jade Crown.
The BTS medal mattered beyond the ceremony. A law change in December 2020 allowed pop artists with a state decoration, recommended by the Culture Minister, to postpone their military service until the age of 30, and BTS qualified through their 2018 order.
The rest of this year's list
In total 36 people and groups were honoured on 29 October. The late rock musician Shin Hae-chul of N.EX.T received the Silver Crown, after his death. TV host Yoo Jae-suk was one of five people to receive the Precious Crown.
Several groups on our site were in the lower tiers: Super Junior received a Presidential Commendation, AKMU a Prime Minister's Commendation, and NMIXX and ENHYPEN a commendation from the Culture Minister.
For BLACKPINK it caps a big year: their fifth album on the Billboard 200 in March and, in February, the first artist ever past 100 million YouTube subscribers. The order went to each of them by name: Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé and Lisa.
