Ulsan appoints national football star as 1st promotional ambassador

Seol Young-woo, left, a member of the national football team, poses with Ulju County Mayor Lee Soon-geol during an official ambassador appointment ceremony at Ulju County Office, Ulsan. Yonhap

Ulju County in the southeastern port city of Ulsan appointed national football team member Seol Young-woo as its first-ever official promotional ambassador, Tuesday.

Seol is the first appointee under the county’s new ordinance, enacted in February, to establish a formal public relations ambassador program. As ambassador, he will take part in various domestic and international activities to promote Ulju’s policies, culture and tourism, while helping raise the county’s public profile.

Born and raised in Ulju, Seol began his football career with the Ulsan HD youth team. After graduating from the University of Ulsan, he joined Ulsan HD’s professional squad in 2020.

He was selected for the Korean men's national football team at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and went on to win a gold medal at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games.

Seol currently plays for Red Star Belgrade (FK Crvena zvezda) in Serbia, where he helped lead the team to both the Serbian Cup and league championships.

Last month, Seol donated 10 million won ($7,283) through his agency to aid recovery efforts following wildfires within the county that broke out in March.

"It’s a great honor to be named the first official ambassador of my hometown, Ulju," Seol said. "No matter where I am, I will always carry the spirit of our community and do my best to raise Ulju’s profile and promote its values."

Ulju County hopes to showcase its unique attractions both domestically and internationally through its newly appointed inaugural promotional ambassador.