By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter
One and a half years after being sworn in as the world's top diplomat, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon returned home Thursday to a hero's welcome.
``I'm so happy and deeply moved to visit my homeland and meet you 18 months after I took office in January last year,'' Ban told a group of reporters and officials greeting him and his wife upon arrival at Seoul Airport in Gyeonggi Province.
``I should have come here earlier, but I had to deal with urgent international issues first. I'm sorry for that,'' said Ban, who served as minister of foreign affairs and trade between 2004 and 2006.
Ban's trip is part of his regional tour involving Japan and China. He will spend five days here before leaving for the G8 Summit in Hokkaido, Japan Monday.
Ban was greeted by a 19-gun salute during a special welcome home ceremony hosted by Prime Minister and his mentor Han Seung-soo. It was exceptional treatment given that the foreign minister usually welcomes foreign dignitaries, even heads of state of allied nations.
Ban's visit comes amid progress at multinational talks over North Korea's nuclear weapons program. Last week, North Korea submitted a list of its current and past nuclear activities to China, the host nation for six-party talks aimed at ending the North's nuclear ambition. A fresh round of six-party talks, involving the two Koreas, the United States, China, Japan and Russia, is expected to be held next week.
``It is very meaningful that I've visited South Korea at a time when a new government was inaugurated and progress is being made regarding North Korea's nuclear issue,'' he said.
He called for Seoul's bigger role in the international community in the future.
``The international society is faced with climate change, food shortages, and high oil prices,'' he said. ``I think the Seoul government will make more efforts to contribute to the international community in accordance with its national power.''
Later in the day, the U.N. secretary general met South Korea's first astronaut, Yi So-yeon. In a ceremony, Yi, who had taken a U.N. flag to the international space station earlier this year, returned the flag to Ban.
Ban received an honorary doctorate in international relations from his alma mater Seoul National University and gave a lecture, titled ``A Strong U.N. for a Better World,'' at the school.
Ban is scheduled to meet with President Lee Myung-bak Friday, and attend a lecture on climate change at the National Assembly.