(Photo Credit: Степиньш Ольга / Creative Commons)

Guus Hiddink has become the first ambassador of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced the news and noted that it is the first time that the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra has appointed its own ambassadors. The position is an honorary position and does not come with any compensation.

Hiddink is famed for leading South Korea’s football team to the 2002 World Cup semi-finals and was selected as an honorary citizen of Seoul in 2002. He will serve as an ambassador alongside Jaap van Zweden, the music director of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, until Dec. 2028.

In a statement, Mayor Oh Se-hoon said, “The collaboration between two masters representing sports and classical music will take the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra to the next level.”