Singer G-Dragon appointed honorary ambassador for Unesco World Heritage Committee session

Veteran K-pop artist G-Dragon has been appointed as the honorary ambassador for the 48th session of the Unesco World Heritage Committee in Busan, the Korea Heritage Service announced on Friday. As ambassador, G-Dragon will promote the protection of World Heritage sites.

The heritage agency explained that it chose the singer because the values behind his Juspeace Foundation closely align with Unesco’s vision of contributing to peace through international cooperation, making him an ideal figure to promote the World Heritage Committee to a global audience.

Following G-Dragon’s appointment, the Juspeace Foundation announced that it will launch the “Heritage in Peace” campaign on July 10. The Juspeace Foundation, established by G-Dragon in 2024, works to address social issues through the arts and creative initiatives.

The campaign will raise public awareness of World Heritage sites and encourage donations to Unesco’s World Heritage Fund, which uses the money to preserve World Heritage sites threatened by war, climate change and natural disasters.

“We expect G-Dragon’s and the Juspeace Foundation’s participation to generate greater public interest in the World Heritage Committee and encourage engagement both in Korea and abroad,” a Korea Heritage Service official said.

“We will do our best to ensure that Korea’s first hosting of the World Heritage Committee becomes an opportunity to foster a new culture of public participation in protecting world heritage.”

The 48th session of the World Heritage Committee will take place in Busan from July 19 through 29 and mark Korea’s first time hosting the event. Delegations from some 196 countries are expected to gather to discuss key agenda items, including evaluating new World Heritage site nominations and reviewing the conservation status of listed sites.

BY LEE TAE-HEE [[email protected]]