Big Bang named first ambassadors for South Korea's space agency

K-pop group Big Bang has been named the first-ever honorary ambassadors for South Korea's Korea AeroSpace Administration, also known as KASA. The announcement was made on August 14 by the group's label, YG Entertainment. As ambassadors, Big Bang will help promote South Korea's goals in space and connect the public to the country's aerospace projects.

KASA was launched in 2024, and Big Bang is the first group of artists to represent the agency. The agency said it chose Big Bang to help get more people interested and involved in South Korea's space journey. 'We hope to expand public interest and participation in Korea's space programme through various outreach activities with the group,' KASA said in a press release.

The timing is special for Big Bang. The group is preparing to mark their 20th anniversary with a space-themed comeback and world tour. Their upcoming tour is called 'XX: Cosmos,' and the cosmic theme connects to the group's name, which refers to the origin of the universe.

As part of the partnership, Big Bang will take part in KASA's public campaign called 'Dream Capsule.' This campaign invites people to send in messages about their dreams and hopes related to space. To celebrate Big Bang's anniversary, the group also launched a special website on August 14 where fans can share their own messages and memories connected to the group.

Those messages will be turned into a special code inspired by the Arecibo Message. The Arecibo Message was a radio signal sent into space in 1974 that carried basic information about humans and Earth. The coded messages will then be placed on board the fifth launch of South Korea's Nuri rocket and sent into space.

Big Bang will release a new digital single called 'Biiig' on August 19, which is their first new music since April 2022. The release lands right on their 20th debut anniversary. The group will then kick off their 'XX: Cosmos' world tour with three concerts in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, from August 21 to 23, before heading to 19 cities across North America, Europe, Oceania, and Asia.