On the 12th, the Seoul Metropolitan Government appointed the virtual idol group "PLAVE" as the ambassador for Startup Seoul.
On the same day, Seoul held a ceremony to appoint the "2025 Startup Seoul ambassadors and Try Everything promotional group."
At the ceremony, Seoul selected PLAVE as its ambassador to promote the startup and entrepreneurship ecosystem of Seoul to foreign countries. PLAVE's agency, Blast, is a Seoul-based startup that possesses motion capture-based 3D content production technology.
PLAVE is a virtual male group consisting of five members: Ye-jun, Noah, Bambi, Eun-ho, and Ha-min. They write their own lyrics, compose music, and choreograph dances. Their Japanese single "Kakurenbo," released in June, recorded 2.7 million streams on its first day, becoming the first song to enter Melon's "Hall of Fame."
Starting with a concert in Seoul this month, PLAVE is set to embark on an Asia tour across six cities, including Taiwan, Tokyo, and Bangkok.
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon presented the appointment letter to the representative of PLAVE's agency on the same day. In a virtual world on a large screen, PLAVE members received it in real time.
The members of PLAVE said, "We are honored to have the opportunity to promote Seoul's excellent startup ecosystem to the world" and remarked, "We will widely convey the charm of Seoul alongside our global fans."
Mayor Oh stated, "This year, Seoul achieved its highest ranking ever at 8th in the world for the best cities to start a business," and added, "We will provide comprehensive support, including space assistance, talent cultivation, and even the removal of regulations, to create a city where young people can realize their dreams and take a step further."