The U.S. State Department says it will send 40 college students as promotional ambassadors to the Expo 2012 opening in Yeosu in South Korea next month.

The students were selected from 31 universities across the United States. They will be charged with guiding people who visit the U.S. exhibition hall at the Yeosu Expo between May and August.

Among the 40 students, there are roughly ten Korean Americans fluent in both English and Korean.

Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Ann Stock told reporters on Tuesday that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has stressed environmental issues as the department’s top policy priority, adding that South Korea is the best partner in the area of environment.

Under the theme of “The Living Ocean and Coast,” the Yeosu Expo will seek ways to address ocean-related problems facing mankind, including the exhaustion of maritime resources. One-hundred-six countries and nine international agencies will take part in the event.