Asiana Airlines sponsors Psy's agency
Asiana Airlines Inc., South Korea's No. 2 flag carrier, signed a deal Tuesday to sponsor "Gangnam Style" sensation Psy and other singers of his agency in an effort to help promote the popularity of Korean pop culture abroad, a company spokesman said.
The carrier said it inked the one-year deal with South Korea's leading entertainment agency YG Entertainment Inc. in a ceremony at its headquarters in western Seoul.
The deal calls for Asiana Airlines to provide free business class tickets to YG Entertainment's big name stars such as Psy, Big Bang and 2NE1 for their overseas concerts and other cultural activities, Asiana Airlines spokesman Na Chul-hee said.
In return, Asiana Airlines will set up a booth inside concert venues and display its logo in an apparent move to boost its brand awareness among foreign fans of Korean pop stars.
Na said that his company will also offer discounts to the agency's staff, though he did not elaborate.
"Asiana Airlines hopes to contribute to spreading K-pop around the world and its growth and development through this partnership," Ryu Kwang-hee, an official in charge of Asiana Airlines' passenger business unit, said at the ceremony, according to the carrier.
Last year, the carrier offered a similar sponsorship deal to CJ E&M, a South Korean entertainment giant.