On August 19th, the members of SNSD were formally appointed as honorary ambassadors for the '2010-2012 Visit Korea Year' at the Lotte Hotel in Seoul. The girls were acknowledged by the Visit Korea Year Committee for their efforts in globalizing K-Pop and the Hallyu wave, and will now be working alongside other ambassadors like Bae Yong Joon, Kim Yuna, and animation character 'Pororo' to further promote the charms of Korea. With a bright smile, the girls stated, "As singers representing Korea, it's an extreme honor to be named as honorary ambassadors of 'Visit Korea Year'. Now is the time of utmost importance for artists, as the new Hallyu boom is centered around K-Pop. We will take this opportunity to actively promote Korea to foreigners all over the world." When asked about how they felt, they replied, "It's an honor to be the face of Korea for three years. As the passion for K-Pop grows stronger as ever, we will do our absolute best." They continued, "While promoting overseas, we noticed that fans were singing along to our Korean songs. A lot were also learning Korean on their own, and we were able to realize just how important SNSD's image is." Representatives of the committee added, "Recently, K-Pop has been growing all over the world. By naming SNSD, the leading artists of the Hallyu wave, as our ambassadors, we're anticipating the effects they'll bring to Korea's tourism through their promotions." SNSD also visited the Blue House and was given a tour by the First Lady, Kim Yoon Ok. Source: Star News (1)(2) via Nate