By Kim Se-jeong
Staff Reporter
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visited his longtime friend Florence Tupper last Saturday in Alexandria, a suburb of Washington, D.C., on her 100th birthday.
According to the Washington Post, Bans' visit was made at the request of Tupper, who is a former high school history teacher and a retired Red Cross worker.
The two met in 1962, when Ban was visiting the U.S. capital on a trip sponsored by the Red Cross. Tupper was his quide.
``Friends, let us toast her continuing good health,'' Ban was quoted as saying, hoisting a glass of wine. ``Long life of 10,000 years, Florence Tupper.''
The U.S. State Department security team and police escorts were mobilized for the secretary general's private trip.
Ban was also in attendance at Tupper's 98th birthday party.
``It's always so nice to see him. We've been friends for a long time,'' Tupper told the Washington Post.