BTS Officially Appointed as Ambassadors for World Expo 2030 Busan, Korea
BTS is making plans for the future — several years ahead, in fact. The K-pop supergroup was officially announced as the ambassadors for the World Expo 2030 Busan, Korea, by the Bid Committee during a ceremony at entertainment company HYBE’s headquarters in Seoul on Tuesday (July 19).
“We are honored to be appointed ambassadors for World Expo 2030 Busan. BTS will do our best to support in bringing the World Expo 2030 to Busan,” RM said in a statement, also noting that the septet will be carrying out various ambassador duties. “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.”
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Prime Minister Han Duk-soo shared his thanks to the global superstars for taking on the role of ambassador. “The most essential part to our success would be the support from Korean citizens as well as the global community,” he noted in a statement. “We believe that BTS will take the most pivotal role during the process. With support from BTS and our people, we will be able to achieve our goal.”
Ahead of BTS’ official appointment as the ambassadors for World Expo 2030, HYBE announced on June 24 that Jin, RM, Jimin, V, Suga, Jung Kook and J-Hope would be holding a concert to boost South Korea’s bid to host the the 2030 World Expo in Busan. The show is set to take place in October.
“This is a meaningful opportunity for BTS and HYBE to contribute to the nation’s bid for World Expo 2030,” Jiwon Park, ceo of HYBE, said in a statement. “HYBE will fully support the artists with their ambassador activities and development of Busan Metropolitan City and local pop culture.”
Other cities that have placed a bid to host World Expo 2030 include Rome, Italy; Odesa, Ukraine; and Riyadh, Saudia Arabia. Russia, who had placed a bid to hold the event in Moscow, withdrew in May. The host city will be selected in the General Assembly in 2023.
BTS had previously shocked fans on June 14 when during a Festa dinner party video, they announced that they were going on a “hiatus” — per their video’s English translation — to focus on solo projects. Shortly after, the group clarified that while the individual members will be spending more time on their own projects, that group activities are still happening. Since then, J-Hope has become the first member to release solo music, with his album Jack in the Box arriving July 15.
