King Charles gives nod to Blackpink, calls BTS Korea’s ‘Beatles’ in state banquet

King Charles III paid tribute to a revered Korean poet and K-pop in a state banquet for President Yoon Suk Yeol at Buckingham Palace in London Tuesday.

Members of K-pop girl group Blackpink head into the state banquet at Buckingham Palace in London Tuesday, celebrating the state visit to Britain by President Yoon Suk Yeol. [AP/YONHAP]

King Charles III paid tribute to a revered Korean independence fighter poet and K-pop in a state banquet for President Yoon Suk Yeol at Buckingham Palace in London Tuesday.

Topping a day filled with pomp and ceremony during Yoon's state visit to Britain, the banquet was attended by more than 170 people from both countries, including Korean business leaders and K-pop group Blackpink.

King Charles, in his speech at the banquet, welcomed Yoon to his country and gave cheers in Korean.

"It is probably artistic creativity which has brought about the most dramatic shift in Korea's place in the British cultural landscape," he said. "Korea has matched Danny Boyle with Bong Joon-ho, James Bond with Squid Game, and the Beatles' 'Let It Be' with BTS's 'Dynamite.'"

His remarks highlighted Korea and Britain's soft power and popular culture, referring to famous directors, entertainment and music from the two countries that have taken the world by storm.

President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, and King Charles III give a toast at the state banquet at Buckingham Palace in London on Tuesday. [AP/YONHAP]

Charles praised the Korean younger generation's commitment to environmental issues and acknowledged each of the four members of Blackpink at the banquet by name.

"I applaud Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa and Rosé, 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 COP26, and later as advocates for the UN Sustainable Development Goals," the king said.

He also gave a nod to K-pop singer Psy as he referred to his 1992 visit to Korea and said, "Sadly, when I was in Seoul all those years ago, I am not sure I developed much of what might be called the 'Gangnam Style!'"

The king highlighted Korea's strategic role as a "bastion of democracy, human rights and freedom."

"Korea and Britain are comrades who shared blood to protect freedom," Yoon said in his banquet speech. "That is why there's nothing we can't do together for the future."

Yoon also shared his love for the Beatles, Queen and Elton John during his school days.

The king later recited an English-translated passage from "The Wind Blows" by Korean poet Yun Dong-ju (1917-1945): "While the wind keeps blowing; My feet stand upon a rock. While the river keeps flowing; My feet stand upon a hill."

Yun, who died in prison in Japan at the age of 27, was known for his poetry dedicated to the Korean independence movement during Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule.

"Korea's preservation of its sense of self, amid bewildering change, was perhaps what the poet Yun Dong-ju, who so tragically died in captivity on the very eve of Korea's liberation, anticipated," the king said in reference to the passage. In turn, Yoon quoted a sonnet by William Shakespeare: "To me, fair friend, the United Kingdom, you never can be old."

Korean guests included executives of Korea's top conglomerates, including Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong, LG Chairman Koo Kwang-mo and Lotte Chairman Shin Dong-bin.

British attendees included Prince William and Catherine of Wales and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

Earlier that morning, Yoon and first lady Kim Keon Hee received a ceremonial welcome from King Charles and Queen Camilla at Horse Guards Parade, headed to Buckingham Palace in a royal carriage procession and held a private lunch there.

Yoon later gave an English-language address to the British Parliament at the Palace of Westminster.

On Wednesday, he will have a bilateral summit with Prime Minister Sunak.

From left, Britain's Queen Camilla, King Charles III, Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee pose for a photo during a state banquet at Buckingham Palace in central London on Tuesday. [AP/YONHAP]

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]