48
Address to the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea
Together, building the future we want
S eo ul , 30 October 2012
I
am deeply honoured to be the first United Nations Secretary-General to address the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea. Ordinarily, as Secretary-General, I should speak in one of the official languages of the United Nations. But as a Korean, speaking in the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, I hope you will understand why I will speak today in my mother tongue. As I look back at the long special relationship between Korea and the United Nations, I am especially pleased to stand at the beginning of my second term in this august chamber which represents all of the Korean people. Korea and the United Nations have worked hand-in-hand for this country’s spectacular development. The special relationship began in 1948. The United Nations sent an electoral supervisory mission to witness Korea’s first democratic general elections – the first such deployment anywhere in the world. Following the outbreak of the Korean War two years later, the United Nations came to the defence of Korea, becoming a beacon of hope for the Korean people. With the help of the United Nations, Korea overcame the tragedy of war and quickly began down the path of astonishing economic growth and deeper democracy. Today, Korea stands as an example, ever striving to represent the ideals and objectives of the United Nations. Throughout my travels around the world, I share the experiences of Korea’s economic development and democratization process. I am often amazed to see the strong interest among leaders around the world to learn from Korea’s example. Korea also is achieving great global success in culture, sports and the arts. As is clear with the recent rise of Psy’s Gangnam Style, the Hallyu wave and Korean pop music, Korean culture is making its mark on the world. Korea also showed its potential in sports in the London Summer Olympics, which impressed the global sports community. This youthful, creative and dynamic Korea is rising as a new hope in the world.