K-Pop group NewJeans has been appointed by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) as new honorary ambassadors of Korea.

According to a report by The Korea Times, the group's appointment is intended to expand Korea's appeal to younger travelers, who make up about one-third of all visitors to the country.

"The ministry hopes that NewJeans' ads will inspire young people around the world to imprint Korean tourism in a sophisticated manner and motivate them to visit and experience the real Korea," Culture Minister Yoo In-chon said.

NewJeans remarked that they are honored to be appointed as honorary ambassadors for Korean tourism. "We will take the lead in promoting Korean culture and tourism to the world," they said.

Upon their appointment, NewJeans tourism ads titled "Korean's Korea" which featured various local delicacies and different activities to experience in the country were released by the Korea Tourism Organization on its YouTube channel.

Previously, Squid Game star Lee Jung-jae was appointed as honorary ambassador in 2023, while K-Pop group BTS was appointed as ambassador in 2022.

Composed of Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin, and Hyein, NewJeans made their debut in July 2022 with the release of their first single "Attention" which landed the top spot on South Korea's Circle Digital Chart.

Their next singles "Hype Boy" and "Cookie" became the longest-running song on the Billboard Global 200 by a K-Pop female act.

In January 2023, the group released their first single album OMG which became a commercial success.

Their second EP Get Up, which was released in July 2023, landed the number one spot of the US Billboard 200. The EP was composed of six tracks including "New Jeans," "Super Shy," "ETA," "Cool With You," "Get Up" and "ASAP."

In May this year, they released their second single album How Sweet. The group made their Japanese debut in June upon the release of their mini-album Supernatural.

Meanwhile, in March this year, NewJeans was honored as Group of the Year at the 2024 Billboard Women in Music Awards held in Los Angeles, California.

"To be part of the music industry today is something we don’t take for granted and it wouldn’t have been possible without a lot of help from people and all the support we received," member Hanni said upon accepting their award.

Danielle dedicated the many successes they have achieved to their fans and to their team who had guided them throughout their journey in the industry. 

"Reflecting back on these past two years, we have been so incredibly blessed. We got to experience so many new and exciting things. And it’s been just the best year, the best year. All of these things wouldn’t have been possible without you guys, Bunnies. And also our family, our friends, our CEO, ADOR and of course, each other," she stated.

READ:NewJeans named Group of the Year at 2024 Billboard Women in Music Awards

Back in December 2023, NewJeans took home two grand prizes including Song of the Year and Singer of the Year at the Asia Artist Awards (AAA) 2023, which was held at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan.

They also won the Asia Celebrity, Hot Trend, Best Choice, and Fabulous awards at the awards ceremony.