By Kim Young-jin
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will arrive in Korea today to attend a conference on international management of the world's oceans and the closing ceremony of the 2012 Yeosu Expo, the foreign ministry said Friday.
Ban will give a keynote speech Sunday at the international conference commemorating the 30th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which outlines the rights and responsibilities of nations in using the oceans.
The four-day trip by the U.N. chief, who hails from Korea, will touch on a number of global issues. He will be accompanied by his wife.
Organized by the Korean government and the U.N., the conference will be held in Yeosu. High ranking officials in attendance will include Koji Sekimizu, secretary-general of the International Maritime Organization and Patricia O'Brien, U.N. under-secretary-general for legal affairs and counsel.
On Monday, the U.N. chief will participate in the opening of "Development Alliance Korea," a group that will foster cooperation between the public and private sectors in international development assistance. It will involve various government agencies including the Korea International Cooperation Agency in addition to dozens of private firms.
He will also attend a meeting of the World Congress of the Global Partnership for Young Women in Seoul and the opening ceremony of the Seoul National University Global Medical Center. In addition, he will meet with the speaker of the National Assembly and high-level officials.
“The upcoming visit by Secretary-General Ban is expected to contribute greatly to raising awareness at home and abroad on the importance of various global issues that he is focusing on, such as the preservation of marine environment, the enhancement of women’s rights, and the promotion of global public health,” the ministry said in a statement. “As such, it is also expected to serve as a good opportunity to create public consensus on the need to strengthen (Korea’s) role in the international community.”