UN chief Ban arrives here to receive Seoul Peace Prize

Ban Ki-moon UN Secretary-General

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived here Sunday for a four-day visit during which he will receive this year’s Seoul Peace Prize.

According to a Seoul official, Ban will receive the biennial award today for his work around the world, including his contributions to securing women’s and children’s rights, eliminating poverty in developing countries and democratizing nations in the Middle East.

He will be the first South Korean recipient of the award since its establishment in 1990 to commemorate the success of the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Previously, former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the founder of Grameen Bank Muhammad Yunus were awarded in 1998 and in 2006 respectively.

The ceremony will be held at the Hotel Shilla and the award comes with 200,000 dollars in prize money.

During the four-day visit, Ban is scheduled to give a speech at a National Assembly plenary session, Tuesday. According to a parliamentary official, this will mark his first address to the National Assembly since he became U.N. chief. His last speech was a special farewell address right before he took office in November, 2006.

The official said “Ban is expected to stress South Korea’s elevated status in the international community as a host of the Green Climate Fund’s secretariat and a non-permanent member of the U.N. Security Council.”

Ban is scheduled to leave Wednesday night. <The Korea Times/Jun Ji-hye>