Busan Metropolitan City and the the Bid Committee for World Expo 2030 Busan on Dec. 26 said they appointed soprano Sumi Jo as promotional ambassador for Busan's bid to host the 2030 World Expo. Shown is Jo on Dec. 23 performing at Seoul Art Center in the capital's Seocho-gu District. (Sumi Jo's official Instagram)
Star soprano Sumi Jo will serve as a promotional ambassador for Busan's bid to host the 2030 World Expo.
Busan Metropolitan City and the Bid Committee for World Expo 2030 Busan on Dec. 26 said they appointed Jo as promotional ambassador.
As the first Asian prima donna to make her debut in a leading role at the world's five opera theaters, Jo is an internationally renowned artist who represents Korea. She is also the first Korean to win a Grammy for Best Opera Recording, first Asian to earn the Italian award Siola d'Oro for best soprano and first Korean to be inducted into the Asian Hall of Fame, a U.S.-based award that recognizes Asians in all disciplines.
Jo is also well known for her humanitarian activity. She was named in 2003 UNESCO Artist for Peace for her dedication to world peace beyond Korea through music.
Busan and Jo share a strong bond. In 2005, the city made her an honorary citizen for her support for the port city's successful hosting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. Last year, she was appointed promotional ambassador for Busan Opera House and has served as adviser to overall operations like development of vocalists in the city and research on performance production.
At a Busan concert in August to support the city's World Expo bid, the soprano sang the cheering song "We Will Be One," which was based on deep understanding of the national importance and meaning of the campaign, and made efforts to form a public consensus for the bid.
Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon said, "Because star soprano Sumi Jo, who is said to have a 'God-given voice,' has joined world-famous actor Lee Jung-jae and K-pop sensation BTS as promotional ambassadors, interest in and support for the 2030 World Expo in Busan in and out of Korea will receive a tremendous boost."
The digital single of "We Will Be One" was released on Dec. 27. In the song, Jo sings about Busan's beauty with a children's choir and delivers a message of hope encouraging everyone to unite and move forward with Busan.
