Lisa Makes Met Gala History as Jisoo and Ahn Hyo-seop Head to New York

BLACKPINK's Lisa is officially part of the 2026 Met Gala host committee, making her the first K-pop artist ever named to that inner circle as New York's biggest fashion night unfolds on May 4. The host committee list published by ELLE places Lisa alongside Anthony Vaccarello and Zoë Kravitz, while the BBC's Met Gala explainer separately confirms her committee role and the event's "Costume Art" theme with the dress code "Fashion Is Art." That matters beyond a clean headline. It signals that K-pop is no longer just furnishing viral red carpet moments for Western luxury houses. It is now being written into the event's power structure itself. With Jisoo heading to New York and Ahn Hyo-seop also confirmed for the night, Korea's presence at the Met feels less like a cameo and more like a seat at the table.

Lisa's committee spot is the real story

Lisa's host committee role is the real separator here because the Met Gala committee is not the same as a guest list. According to ELLE, the 2026 committee includes culture figures like Teyana Taylor, Sabrina Carpenter, Doja Cat, Sam Smith, and Lisa, with Anthony Vaccarello and Zoë Kravitz co-chairing that group. STARNEWS went further and called Lisa the first K-pop artist to earn the distinction, which gives the milestone its sharper industry framing. For BLACKPINK, it is another signal that the group's fashion capital keeps expanding beyond comeback headlines like our DEADLINE review and Lisa's own solo buzz in our recent album coverage. We have seen idols dominate front rows and ambassador campaigns before. Committee status is different. Committee status says the Met is treating Lisa as part of the room that shapes the narrative, not just a celebrity wearing the clothes.

Jisoo and Ahn Hyo-seop widen Korea's footprint on the carpet

STARNEWS reported that Jisoo departed for New York on May 3, effectively confirming her Met Gala attendance and setting up the first appearance at the event for the Dior ambassador. That adds fresh fashion momentum to a year where Jisoo has already been stacking prestige moments, including her recent Canneseries recognition. STARNEWS and its separate follow-up on Ahn Hyo-seop also confirmed that the actor will attend with Valentino, giving the night a second Korean headline outside the idol lane. As reported by STARNEWS, that pairing extends Ahn's current global run after recent awards-show and US TV visibility. Put simply, this is not just one star carrying the K-culture brief at the Met. It is a wider Korean presence landing across music, acting, and luxury fashion in the same news cycle.

K-pop is moving from invitation status to influence status

Korean stars have been building toward this for years, but 2026 gives the story a sharper edge. NextShark's look at Asian celebrities on the 2023 Met Gala carpet is a useful reminder that representation was already growing before this year. What felt new then was visibility. What feels new now is structural relevance. Lisa landing on the host committee pushes Korean star power beyond attendance and into the part of the machine that signals taste, status, and institutional trust. Jisoo's expected debut and Ahn Hyo-seop's Valentino-backed arrival only make that point louder. Vogue's livestream begins at 6 p.m. EDT, according to Vogue, so the clothes will do the rest of the talking soon enough. But Lisa has already delivered the night's most important K-pop headline before the carpet even starts.