Unesco HQ hit by largest-ever crowd ahead of Seventeen’s Youth Forum speech

K-pop group Seventeen poses for a picture at UNESCO headquarters in Paris on Tuesday. (Pledis Entertainment)

Paris was filled with K-pop fans ahead of boy band Seventeen‘s historical speech and performance at UNESCO headquarters on Tuesday.

The 13-member group arrived in the city on Sunday, according to a statement from the group’s agency, Pledis Entertainment on Tuesday, amid shouts and screams from fans who flocked to the airport to welcome them.

Seventeen’s attendance at UNESCO headquarters was highly anticipated as it marked the first time a K-pop group had been invited to speak at a session during the biennial UNESCO General Conference. Over 3,600 people signed up for the 550 available seats, marking the largest crowd to gather at a UNESCO session, the agency said.

According to Pledis, South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin also shared his anticipation for the group’s attendance during his keynote speech at the conference on Sunday.

Touting the team as a “globally famous K-pop band,” Park said that Seventeen’s session would be “a scene for celebration for the unlimited possibilities of the future generation.”

The multinational band will host a special session for about an hour starting at 7:30 p.m. local time, Tuesday. The group will also deliver a speech and perform.

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Members Seung-kwan, Jun, Woozi, Mingyu, Joshua and Vernon, will each take the podium to share their own experiences in relation to the message that “education and solidarity for the youth will change their future and the future of the Earth,” Pledis said.

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The band will continue their story through their performance, bringing five of their songs to the stage in relation to the night’s message. The songs include “_World,” “Darl+ing (English ver.),” “Headliner,” “God of Music” and “Together (English ver.).” The band will also unveil a separate performance clip outside of the session, the agency added.

Meanwhile, only 12 members flew to Paris as S. Coups is currently taking a break to recover from his leg injury and will not be attending the session, Pledis said.