Blackpink, Aespa members rep K-pop at Met Gala
by Annie Martin · UPIMay 5 (UPI) -- Members of K-pop girl groups Blackpink and Aespa walked the red carpet at the 2026 Met Gala.
Blackpink members Jennie, Lisa, Rosé and Jisoo attended the event Monday in New York, along with Karina and Ningning of Aespa.
This year's Met Gala featured a "Costume Art" theme and a "Fashion is Art" dress code.
Jennie, 30, a longtime ambassador for Chanel, wore a strapless column gown from the brand that was covered in 15,000 sequins in different shades of blue. The dress took 540 hours to create.
Thai singer and actress Lisa, 29, sported a white custom Robert Wun gown that featured sculptured arms holding up a veil. The limbs were 3D-scans of Lisa's own arms and were posed in a way to resemble traditional Thai dance positions.
Monday's event marked both Karina and Ningning's Met Gala debut. Karina, 26, wore a black and white custom Prada gown inspired by hanbok, a type of Korean traditional dress, while Chinese singer Ningning, 23, sported a cascading black Gucci dress.
Other South Korean stars at the gala included Squid Game Season 1 star Hoyeon Jung, who wore a black Louis Vuitton gown with a floral-inspired skirt.
Korean-American celebs Ejae and Audrey Nuna, who provide the singing voices for Rumi and Mira in the hit film KPop Demon Hunters, also attended the event.
Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman arrive at the Met Gala
Co-chair Beyoncé arrives on the red carpet for the 2026 Met Gala celebrating "Costume Art" at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 4, 2026 in New York City. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo