Activities of Secretary-General in Republic of Korea, 24-27 March
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, accompanied by Madam Ban Soon-taek, arrived in the Republic of Korea early in the morning of Saturday 24 March on an overnight flight from Singapore.
That afternoon, the Secretary-General met President Lee Myung-bak of the Republic of Korea at the presidential Blue House.
The Secretary-General and the President had wide-ranging discussions. The Secretary-General again urged the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to reconsider its declared plans to launch a satellite. He called on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to comply fully with Security Council resolutions, notably the one that prohibits any launch using ballistic missile technology.
On Sunday, 25 March, the Secretary-General met the Thai Prime Minister, Yingluck Shinawatra.
He also received a briefing on the Yeosu World Expo and met the President of Yonhap news agency, Park Jung-chan.
On Monday, 26 March, the Secretary-General met the President of Gabon, Ali Bongo Ondimba, and the new President of Finland, Sauli Niinistö, as well as the Australian Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, and the Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The Secretary-General also attended a working dinner with other leaders attending the Seoul Nuclear Security Summit.
On Tuesday, 27 March, the Secretary-General first had a bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister of Spain, Mariano Rajoy Brey. He then met the Jordanian monarch, His Majesty King Abdullah Il Bin Al Hussein.
The Secretary-General next attended the opening plenary session of the Seoul Nuclear Security Summit and spoke at the leaders’ working lunch. (See Press Release SG/SM/14194)
Early in the afternoon, the Secretary-General met Ukraine's President, Viktor Yanukovych.
The Secretary-General took part in the second plenary session of the Nuclear Security Summit and delivered remarks. In his statement to the Summit, the Secretary-General told world leaders the prospect of nuclear terrorism threatens international security and that the international community was united in its resolve to defuse that threat.
He outlined five areas to focus on, including the need for a verifiable and legally binding fissile material cut-off treaty and a possible follow-up meeting in New York to the 2009 Security Council summit hosted by President Obama.
The Secretary-General also reiterated his concern about the continued non-compliance of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Iran with relevant Security Council resolutions concerning their nuclear programmes. He also urged the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to reconsider its announced plan to launch a satellite. (See Press Release SG/SM/14195)
Later that afternoon, the Secretary-General met the Brazilian Vice President, Michael Temer. He also spoke to several other leaders briefly on the margins of the Summit.
That night the Secretary-General left Seoul and flew to Kuwait via Dubai, arriving in Kuwait City the following morning.