Today at the margins of the Global Engagement and Empowerment Forum in Seoul, former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and former President of Austria Heinz Fischer and the Advisory Board Members of the Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens met the Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea Mr. Lee Naek- yeon. Besides talking about the Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games and the Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens, the challenging situation of North and South Korea was discussed, as the Winter Olympic Games create an important window of opportunity for the relations of the two countries.

Ban Ki-moon said: “We are encouraged to see the dialogue between South and North Korea. It may be a very small opening of reducing tensions and also addressing the issues of facilitating North Korean athletes to Pyeongchang Winter Olympic games. We sincerely hope that after so many years of the highest level of tensions this window of opportunity will lead to a larger and more meaningful dialogue between the South and North Korea in addressing a denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.”