K-pop girl group BLACKPINK attended the Buckingham Palace banquet on Wednesday, Nov. 22, during the first day of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s state visit to the United Kingdom.

“I applaud Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa, and Rose–better known collectively as BLACKPINK–for their role in bringing the message of environmental sustainability to a global audience as Ambassadors for the U.K.’s Presidency of COP 26, and later as advocates for the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals.,” King Charles said in his speech.

In a Sky News coverage as posted by Pop Base on its X (formerly Twitter) account, BLACKPINK members were shocked from hearing their names being called one by one in King Charles’s address.

BLACKPINK react to being honoured during a speech by King Charles III for the Korean State Banquet at Buckingham Palace, via Sky News. pic.twitter.com/OYSfEOIqtm

— Pop Base (@PopBase) November 21, 2023

According to a BBC report, President Suk Yeol’s state visit is a sign of respect toward an important ally and trade partner in a place that has growing tensions with China.