In a move turning global heads, BIGBANG member G-Dragon has become the face of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee.
The Korea Heritage Service announced on the 3rd that it has appointed G-Dragon as the ambassador for the 48th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee.
The agency highlighted, "G-Dragon is an artist whose influence extends beyond K-pop into the broader arts and culture sphere worldwide, and he has been at the forefront of using art to address social issues and promote public-interest culture."
In 2024, G-Dragon drew attention by donating his copyrights to establish the public-interest JUSPEACE Foundation. He currently serves as honorary chair, focusing on solving social issues through art and expanding public-interest culture.
As ambassador, G-Dragon will support campaigns to protect World Heritage. Leveraging the 48th session as a launchpad, the JUSPEACE Foundation will team up with UNESCO on the 10th to kick off the citizen-participation campaign 'Heritage in Peace' for World Heritage protection. Donations raised through the campaign will go to the UNESCO World Heritage Fund to help safeguard sites threatened by war, the climate crisis, and natural disasters.
The 48th UNESCO World Heritage Committee will take place in Busan from the 19th to the 29th. As the first-ever session hosted in Korea, it is expected to draw more than 3,000 participants, including delegations from all 196 States Parties and international experts.