BIG BANG NAMED HONORARY AMBASSADOR FOR ‘CREATIVE KOREA’

The South Korean idol group Big Bang has been named the honorary ambassador of the state-run national branding business, the group’s agency said Wednesday.

The globally followed K-pop group will promote “Creative Korea,” a national brand launched in July by South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, YG Entertainment said in a press release, jointly issued by the ministry.

With “unique Korean creativity” as its key theme, the state project aims to evaluate the national brand power of Korea and its cultural content in the global arena. At home, the project seeks to raise public esteem of its own people about their national identity.

Big Bang will take over its honorary ambassador’s duty at the start of the Rio Olympics. The contract will last until the end of the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, which will be hosted by PyeongChang, 182 kilometers east of Seoul.

During the Summer Games, Big Bang will shoot motivational videos for South Korean Olympians and model for postcards for promotional purposes.

“We expect Big Bang to play a significant role in raising the global awareness of ‘Creative Korea,'” the ministry said in the press statement.

Since its debut in 2006, Big Bang has created a global fandom with a number of hits, including “Fantastic Baby,” “Haru Haru,” “Lie,” “Loser” and “Bang Bang Bang.” In the latest world tour that kicked off in April, the quintet drew some 1.5 million fans in 32 major cities of 13 countries, spanning Asia, North and Central America, and Australia.