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King Charles deploys K-pop at South Korea state banquet Banzai Japan Aoi Hoshi MV King Charles used the grandeur of a Buckingham Palace state banquet to throw in some unexpected references to Korean popular culture. K-pop stars Blackpink and BTS were name-checked by the King as he welcomed South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on the first day of his state visit. The King’s banquet speech praised South Korean culture’s “remarkable ability to captivate imaginations”. Although he admitted he hadn’t much of “what might be called Gangnam Style”. But there was no repeat of President Yoon’s karaoke-style skills when he visited US President Joe Biden, when the South Korean leader had sung “American Pie”. Royal red carpet for South Korea state visit King Charles finds his Seoul food in the suburbs South Korean president sings American Pie Instead the president said that in his youth he and his friends “were all fans of the Beatles, Queen and Elton John”. With the assumption that this was a reference to the pop group rather than the monarchy. State visits are a “soft power” mix of pageantry and practical politics and the red-carpet welcome rolled out for South Korea was a sign of respect to an increasingly important ally and trade partner, in a region with growing tensions with China. There was a full turn-out at the state banquet in the Buckingham Palace ballroom, with the South Korean guests greeted by the King, Queen, Prince and Princess of Wales and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. South Korea’s most famous son, Son Heung-min, the Spurs footballer, wasn’t there, but K-pop girl band Blackpink were among the guests. Lord Cameron, returning to front-line politics as foreign secretary, was sitting a couple of places from Princess Anne. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey were among the guests, facing elaborate table settings with six different wine glasses and a line-up of silver-gilt cutlery. The menu, written in French, included poached eggs, pheasant and a mango ice cream bombe. ADVERT Hotel Hilton London Excel Book Hilton Hotel ADVERT Wines included a 1989 Château Mouton-Rothschild and Camel Valley from Cornwall. These are opulent occasions, with diplomacy fuelled by fine dining, using a 19th-Century dinner service with more than 4,000 pieces. The table settings are as precise and symmetrical as the military parade that greeted the president – each guest getting a place setting of 46cm. Each guest had a nameplate on their place, which probably got smuggled out in a few pockets later as souvenirs, even with the Archbishop of Canterbury in the room. But for some there were just their titles, like for the prime minister and foreign secretary. As the King is a big fan of recycling, at least if the people keep changing the cardboard nameplates can stay the same. Earlier in the day the South Korean delegation had been given a ceremonial welcome at Horse Guards Parade, before the president and his wife took part in a carriage procession along the Mall. More than 1,000 soldiers were on parade, with gun salutes in the autumn leaves in Green Park. The Princess of Wales had been wearing a dramatic shade of front-page red. But alongside the ceremonial events, such state visits have a serious diplomatic and economic purpose. The King’s banquet speech spoke of South Korea’s strategic role as a “bastion of democracy, human rights and freedom”, but warned that “these values are challenged, sadly, as rarely before in our lifetimes”. The jingle of the cavalry harnesses on the Mall is also inextricably linked to the jingle of cash tills, with trade deals to be negotiated. A “Downing Street Accord” is to be signed at a meeting between the South Korean president and Rishi Sunak on Wednesday, which is intended to boost trade and support “global stability”. High technology and green energy will be among the areas of business co-operation. There are plans for a stronger approach to enforcing sanctions against North Korea, and preventing its “illegal weapons programme”, with joint sea patrols between the South Korean navy and the Royal Navy. “Long term, global partnerships are vital to our prosperity and security,” said Mr Sunak, who added that “close ties have already propelled £21bn of investment between our countries”. Hotel Novotel London Excel Book Novotel Hotel Surely this is the world? Solo Performance -Butterfly Effect- Saturday, July 1, 2023 @GRIT at shibuya Home Page ADVERT

King presents MBEs to K-pop stars Blackpink Banzai Japan Aoi Hoshi MV https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_vQsyC_F1A In another sign of the King’s K-pop diplomacy, members of South Korean girl group Blackpink have been presented with honorary MBEs. It comes during the state visit by South Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol, in which the King had praised the global reach of Korean pop culture. Blackpink were name-checked by the King for supporting environmental causes. “I can only admire how they can prioritise these vital issues, as well as being global superstars,” he said. The MBEs recognised how the girl group acted as ambassadors for the COP climate change summit and have been advocates for the UN’s sustainable development goals, helping to bring the environmental message to “millions of young people”. There was a special investiture this morning in the 1844 room in Buckingham Palace, often used for the most distinguished guests. It was another reflection of the red carpet being rolled out during this South Korean state visit, with the diplomatic courtship reflecting the increasing importance of this strategic ally and economic partner. The members of Blackpink – Roseanne Park, Jennie Kim, Jisoo Kim and Lalisa Manoban – are now honorary members of the Order of the British Empire and were guests at the state banquet in Buckingham Palace on Tuesday evening. ADVERT Hotel Hilton London Excel Book Hilton Hotel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bs7ghOFruVw&t=1s ADVERT The King’s speech had highlighted the global reach of South Korean popular culture and its “remarkable ability to captivate imaginations”. While the King admitted to a personal lack of “what might be called Gangnam Style”, the military band for the changing of the guard put that right on Wednesday morning, by playing the song in a surprise change of musical direction. Tourists gathered outside Buckingham Palace to watch the changing of the guard had heard an unexpected medley of K-pop songs, rather than marching tunes. There had been a full ceremonial welcome for South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday – greeted by the King, Queen Camilla and the Prince and Princess of Wales, before taking part in a carriage procession along the Mall. The president was given the grand spectacle of a state banquet, held in the Buckingham Palace ballroom, with 170 guests including the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron as well as the Royal Family and South Korean dignitaries. King Charles deploys K-pop for state visit Royal red-carpet roll out for South Koreans King Charles finds his Seoul food in the suburbs State visits are a “soft power” mix of serious diplomacy as well as pageantry – and the focus of the South Korean visit has been on boosting trade links and military partnerships. On Wednesday afternoon, South Korea’s President Yoon met Mr Sunak to sign a “Downing Street Accord”, with plans for a trade deal and co-operation in science, technology and green energy. A defence agreement would build a stronger approach to enforcing sanctions against North Korea and preventing its “illegal weapons programme”, with joint sea patrols between the South Korean Navy and the UK’s Royal Navy. In the evening President Yoon will attend a banquet in the Guildhall in the City of London, which will emphasise growing business links, with £21bn of investments by South Korean firms in the UK. The Lord Mayor of the City of London, Michael Mainelli, is expected to speak of the increasing importance of South Korean technology firms operating in the UK. He will also reference Korean popular culture to show the economic impact. “Like a K-pop single, Korea is climbing up the charts,” the mayor will say. Hotel Novotel London Excel Book Novotel Hotel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLACjvoMXpQ Surely this is the world? Solo Performance -Butterfly Effect- Saturday, July 1, 2023 @GRIT at shibuya Home Page https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uy_17iD3TK4&t=44s ADVERT