United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will arrive in Seoul today for a five-day visit as part of his two-week-long Northeast Asian tour, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said Wednesday.
It is Ban's first trip to his homeland since he took over the top U.N. job last year.
During his stay, he will meet South Korea's first astronaut, Yi So-yeon, to congratulate her on a successful space mission in April, a ministry official said.
A former minister of foreign affairs and trade, Ban will pay a courtesy call on President Lee Myung-bak Friday, and meet Prime Minister Han Seung-soo and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Yu Myung-hwan.
After arriving in Seoul, Ban will give a speech to encourage Korean troops participating in U.N. peacekeeping missions, and U.N. officials in South Korea. After that, he will move to a hotel in central Seoul to meet Yi, the official said.
Ban will receive a U.N. flag that she carried during her 12-day stay at the International Space Station.
The secretary general is expected to call for the government to increase its role in U.N. operations and to support its campaigns on global warming, the food crisis and poverty.
He will also visit Seoul National University, his alma mater, to receive an honorary doctorate in diplomacy, visit his hometown, Umseong, North Chungcheong Province, and give a speech at Chongju University.
Ban will return to Japan to attend the G8 summit on the northern island of Hokkaido.