| Five members of K-pop act Super Junior pose with officials from the Saudi Arabia Tourism Authority during a gala dinner show at the Westin Josun Hotel, central Seoul, Monday. Courtesy of SM Entertainment |
By Dong Sun-hwa
K-pop act Super Junior has been nominated as the ambassador of the Saudi Arabia Tourism Authority, becoming the first artist in the world to assume the role.
The SM Entertainment group, which staged a solo concert in Saudi Arabia in 2019 as the first Asian artist, will present the kingdom's travel gems to people worldwide in an upcoming entertainment show, SM says. Super Junior announced the launch of “Knight of the Lamp” last March, adding that it will be created in cooperation with the tourism authority.
Members Leeteuk, Shindong, Eunhyuk, Donghae, Ryeowook and Kyuhyun received a letter of appointment during a gala dinner show at the Westin Josun hotel, central Seoul, Monday.
“Upon an invitation by the Saudi Arabia Tourism Authority, we recently traveled around the country and had an unforgettable time,” Leeteuk, who could not join the event, said in a video message. “Saudi Arabia is not as far away as we think, and we have direct flights from Korea, too. I hope a lot of people get to visit it.”
Alhasan Aldabbagh, the president of the Asia Pacific region for the tourism authority, said, “We are very glad to have Super Junior as our ambassador. The legendary K-pop group has always maintained good ties with us and with this chance, we hope we can continue our consistent and intimate relationship.”
Since its establishment in June 2020, the Saudi Arabia Tourism Authority has opened 16 offices across the globe.
Super Junior burst onto the K-pop scene in 2005 and has rolled out a string of hits, perhaps most notably “Sorry Sorry” (2009) which brought it great chart success.