U.N.'s Ban welcomed home to S. Korea

SEOUL, July 3 (UPI) -- U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was warmly welcomed Thursday on his first visit to his native South Korea since becoming the U.N. chief.

Ban will meet with South Korean officials as well as receive a U.N. flag from South Korea's first astronaut Lee So-yeon, who took it into space in April, Yonhap News Agency reported. He will travel to Japan Saturday to attend the G8 summit.

"I am so happy and moved to visit my homeland and meet you 18 months after I took office in January of last year," Ban told reporters and officials at a military airport near Seoul. "I should have come here earlier. I am so sorry for being late due to urgent international issues."

He repeated his call for South Korea to play a larger role in international affairs.

"The international society is faced with climate change, food shortages, and high oil prices," Ban said. "I think the South Korean government should make international contributions to match its national power."

South Korean Prime Minister Han Seung-soo greeted Ban, who was the prime minister's chief of staff when Han was president of the U.N. General Assembly in 2001, the news agency said.

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