BTS to receive South Korea's presidential order of cultural merit

SEOUL, Oct. 8 (UPI) -- K-pop sensation BTS will receive a South Korean presidential medal of cultural merit, the presidential office said on Monday.

"The government decided to award members of BTS a Hwagwan Order of Cultural Merit for their contribution to spreading Korean culture overseas and promotion of popular culture," presidential office spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom said in a briefing on Monday.

BTS will become the youngest and the first K-pop boy group to receive the highest civil cultural award.

South Korea's Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon also said: "BTS has made a great contribution to promoting not only Korean culture but also Korean language Hangul as many of its fans sing along BTS songs in the Korean language."

BTS attracted more than 40,000 audiences in the sold-out concert on Saturday in New York, the final show of its Love Yourself tour and the group's first concert in a U.S. stadium.