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| Maestro Chung Myung-whun, left, poses with Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon during Chung's appointment ceremony as the sixth ambassador for the port city's bid to host the World Expo 2030 at City Hall, Tuesday. Yonhap |
By Lee Hae-rin
Korea's award-winning conductor Chung Myung-whun has joined efforts to promote Busan's bid to host the World Expo 2030 after being named as the southern port city's sixth official ambassador.
Busan Metropolitan City and the public-private committee promoting the city's Expo bid held Chung's appointment ceremony at Busan City Hall, Tuesday.
"I was born in Busan and I came back here with much pleasure after experiencing world stages," Chung said during the appointment ceremony, expressing his determination to support the bid campaign.
Born in Busan in 1953, Chung inherited and grew his passion for music from his mother, who carried a small piano with her when she evacuated to Busan at the outbreak of the 1950-53 Korean War, he said during a press conference after the ceremony.
The southeastern port city became a haven for war refugees from across the country and served as the wartime provisional capital as it remained the only city uninvaded by North Korea.
Last August, Chung conducted a special concert to promote the city's bid for the World Expo 2030. He will also serve as the first art director for the city's international art center and opera house, slated to open in 2025 and 2026, respectively.
Chung served as a music director of the Saarbrucken Radio Symphony Orchestra, Opera de Paris-Bastille, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France and the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, and has conducted for many world's leading orchestras, including the Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic, all the major London and Parisian orchestras, the Metropolitan Opera and the New York Philharmonic.
Along with Chung, the other five ambassadors are actor Lee Jung-jae, Korea's first virtual influencer Oh Rozy, soprano Sumi Jo, K-pop giant BTS and Baby Shark, an animated character produced by the local entertainment company Pinkfong that went globally viral on YouTube in 2016.
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