Members of South Korean music band BTS have been appointed as honorary public relations ambassadors for the 2030 Busan World Expo.
Last month, it was announced that the septet will headline a global concert to support their country's bid to host the 2030 World Expo in the port city of Busan in October.
The appointment ceremony was held at BTS studio HYBE Co Ltd's 19th floor conference hall, co-hosted by the 2030 Busan World Expo Bidding Committee and Busan City.
BTS also shared pictures from the ceremony on their official Twitter account.
“We are BTS, the PR ambassador for the 2030 Busan World Expo,” read the tweet.
The band — also comprising Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook — in June had announced that they were taking a break to focus on individual projects.
RM of BTS said the members are honoured to be appointed as ambassadors for World Expo 2030 Busan.
“We will do our best to support bringing the World Expo 2030 to Busan. Starting with the Global Busan Concert in October, we will carry out various ambassador activities. We will also make extra efforts to not only support the nation's bid, but also promote the beautiful nature and culture of the Republic of Korea worldwide,” the group leader said.
The event was attended by all BTS members; South Korean Prime Minister Han Deok-soo, co-chair of the 2030 Busan World Expo; Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) Chairman Choi Tae-won; Busan Mayor Park Hyung-joon, and HYBE CEO Park Ji-won.
Prime Minister Han Duk-soo expressed his gratitude towards BTS for accepting the ambassadorship for the expo.
“The most essential part to our success would be the support from Korean citizens as well as the global community. We believe that BTS will take the most pivotal role during the process. With the support from BTS and our people, we will be able to achieve our goal,” the South Korean prime minister was quoted as saying in an official press release from BTS' agency BigHit Music.
Last year, popular South Korean actor Lee Jung-jae of Squid Game fame was chosen as the first public relations ambassador for the 2030 Busan World Expo bid.
The World Expo is held every five years and attracts millions of visitors to the host city during its six-month duration. The last World Expo was held from October 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022 in Dubai after being postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.