The President received a global leadership award on September 20 upon arriving in New York for a three-day visit.

The President, currently visiting the United States to attend the United Nations General Assembly, expressed his will to contribute to reunification and denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in a speech after receiving the World Statesman Award from the Appeal of Conscience Foundation at a hotel in New York.

The President said he will firm the ground for reunification of the Korean Peninsula during the remainder of his term, stressing that a reunified Korea will promote the co-prosperity of neighboring countries, contribute to world peace, and pose no threat to any country.

Expressing his hope for the peace and prosperity of the Korean Peninsula, he also urged Pyongyang to give up its nuclear program and build trust with Seoul in order to strengthen inter-Korean economic cooperation for co-prosperity and peaceful reunification.

In regard to the Korea-U.S. alliance, The President said the alliance is stronger than ever and credited it with helping Korea achieve a rapid transformation from an impoverished country to an advanced country through economic development and democracy. He added that Korea’s fight against poverty was a struggle for human dignity, not just for material affluence. The president also said he learned through experience that job creation is the best welfare of the country.

The Appeal of Conscience Foundation, founded by Rabbi Arthur Schneier in 1965, has presented the award to a world leader every year who contributed to world peace, democracy, human rights, and religious tolerance.

Previous recipients of the award include former Korean President Kim Dae-jung, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of India.

The attendees of the award ceremony included UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and U.S. President Barack Obama who both delivered congratulatory addresses.

By Yoon Sojung
Korea.net Staff Writer