K-pop rookie boy band EXO will promote the 2014 Nanjing Youth Olympic Games as honorary ambassadors, the event’s official sponsor Samsung Electronics Co. said on Sunday.

The Korean tech giant selected EXO as honorary ambassadors for the 2014 Nanjing Youth Olympic Games in a press conference held in Shanghai, China, on Friday, expecting the boy band’s global popularity would raise the recognition for the event. On the same day, EXO kicked off the two-day concert “EXO World Tour in Shanghai,” luring some 20,000 Chinese fans in total.

In addition, EXO is to participate in a series of new activities to promote the 2014 Youth Olympic Games, under the slogan “Live the Beats, Love the Games.”

The group is scheduled to hold an exclusive concert in Nanjing together with other K-pop artists from the same management agency, SM Entertainment, and local artists from China.

Meanwhile, Samsung Electronics is to unveil a video clip that encourages people to enjoy music and sports through the smart devices.

“Together with EXO, which has enthralled music fans all over the world, we will make the Youth Olympics a festival of music and sports embedded in smart technology,” said Lee Young-hee, the marketing chief of the mobile communication division at Samsung Electronics.

By Ha Ji-won, Intern reporter (jiwonha@heraldcorp.com)