United Nations Radio

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has arrived in Seoul on his first official visit to his home country since taking office 18 months ago.

The Republic of Korea is the third leg of Mr. Ban's East Asian tour which has already taken him to Japan and China. Before taking off from Beijing for Seoul Thursday, Mr. Ban said his central message during the visit would be that Korea could do more to contribute to the world:

"As a Korean Secretary-General, I'd like to play a bridging role, the experience which Korea has gained through the economic process, as well as the political democratization, could be used as lessons and to many developing countries who aspire to achieve such experience."

This was his message when Mr. Ban addressed students at Seoul National University, and met Korean peacekeepers. On Friday, Mr. Ban will discuss climate change at the National Assembly and meet senior leaders including the President.

Hak-Fan Lau, UN Radio Seoul.

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