UN Chief Urges Seouls Active Effort on Climate Change

NEW YORK _ U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged South Korea on Sunday to assume an active role in global efforts on climate change, one of his key agendas as head of the United Nations, Yonhap News reported.

Meeting South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo over breakfast, Ban said this week's meeting on climate change will have historic significance as consensus is growing for the world to deal with the issue through the U.N.

As the world's 11th-largest economy and a member of the Organiszation of Economic Cooperation and Development, South Korea must keep in step with the international community, officials quoted Ban as saying.

The U.N. chief urged the establishment of a new system to replace the Kyoto Protocol that expires in 2012, and stated his expectations for the upcoming meeting to reach with an agreement, officials said.

Ban, a former South Korean foreign minister, said that he hopes next week's inter-Korean summit will contribute to positive changes on the Korean Peninsula, and pledged necessary support on the North Korean nuclear issue.

Han explained the measures taken by his government to cope with climate change, according to the officials.

He also thanked Ban for his efforts in the South Korean hostage crisis in Afghanistan that ended in the release of all the captives last month.