June 14, 2012: United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was named on Tuesday
as the winner of this year's Seoul Peace Prize, the prize foundation said. Ban, a
South Korean, was chosen for promoting the rights of women and children, efforts to
eliminate poverty in developing nations, and contributing to the democratisation of
Middle Eastern countries, the foundation said. He is the first South Korean to receive
the biennial prize which was established in 1990 to commemorate the success of the
1988 Seoul summer Olympics.
Ban is the 11th recipient of the award, which
recognises people who devote themselves to transcending race and ideology to build
world peace. Previous winners include the then-International Olympic Committee president
Juan Antonio Samaranch, the then-UN secretary general Kofi Annan and Nobel Peace Prize
winner Muhammad Yunus. The winner receives a diploma, a plaque and a $200,000 payment.
Ban
said in a statement he was deeply honoured by the award, which he "humbly accepts"
on behalf of the United Nations as a whole. The former South Korean foreign minister
said he would keep striving "to respond to the need for peace, human rights and development
of the world's people".