Members of K-Pop phenomenon, BTS, were appointed as ambassadors for World Expo 2030 held in Busan Korea. The ceremony took place in Seoul today, at the HYBE headquarters where the members received official plaques from the Bid Committee accompanied by Prime Minister Han Duk-soo and Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) Chairman Chey Tae-won. 

RM of BTS said, “We are honored to be appointed as ambassadors for World Expo 2030 Busan. BTS will do our best to support in bringing the World Expo 2030 to Busan. […] 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.”

So what is The World Expo? The World Expo is a gathering of nations in which countries discuss solutions to pressing global issues and offer visitors to explore the host city and its culture. Taking place every 5 years, this festival attracts millions of visitors and is evidently a transformative time for the host country’s economy. 

The KPop boyband has had immense success and attraction globally since its debut in 2013. Members RM, Jin, SUGA, j-hope, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook are known for their top-notch performances, selling out multiple stadium shows globally. In their short time together they have collected six No.1 Billboard Hot 100 singles in a span of a year and have been nominated two years in a row for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. 

As part of their duties as ambassadors, BTS will participate in fundraising events such as a global Busan Concert that is set to bring millions of fans’ support. According to KCCI Chairman Chey Tae-won, “At the end of last year, BTS’ online concert was attended by ARMY from 197 countries/regions, more than the number of Member States of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), which is 170. We are excited to see how BTS’ participation will affect the World Expo 2030 bid.” 

The boyband’s involvement in the Expo bid is set to be a developmental time for both BTS as well as Korea’s pop culture. Busan is among three competitors to host the 2030 Expo. Its rivals are the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh and the Italian capital Rome and the winner will be decided in November of 2023.