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Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon becomes first Korean to receive Mongolia's highest medal, 'Genghis Khan'

DongA2024.11.04(Source : DongA)The Mongolian Presidential Office announced on the 2nd (local time) that it had awarded former Secretary-General Ban the Order of Chinggis Khan at the Mongolian Pride Day ceremony held at the government building in Ulaanbaatar. The day also marked the 862nd anniversary of the birth of Genghis Khan.The Order of Chinggis Khan is awarded to domestic and foreign politicians and social activists who have contributed to global prosperity and peace, the development of Mongolia’s foreign relations, and enhancing its international reputation. Ban is the first Korean to receive this award. He is the second foreigner to receive the award, following American Mongolian scholar Weatherford. The Mongolian Presidential Office explained the background of the award, saying, “Former Secretary-General Ban played a key role in promoting high-level ‘strategic partnership’ cooperation between Mongolia and Korea, and laid the foundation for strengthening relations between the two countries.”Mongolian President Khurelsukh said at the award ceremony, “It is very rare for a foreigner to receive our country’s highest national decoration,” adding, “Selecting Ban as the recipient of the Order of Genghis Khan is an expression of our high respect for his achievements in uniting the international community.” He continued, “I express my deepest gratitude for his contributions to expanding and strengthening cooperation between Mongolia and the United Nations, and supporting Mongolia’s social and economic development.”In 2006, Ban accompanied former President Roh Moo-hyun on his state visit to Mongolia as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade. With Roh’s visit, the two countries upgraded their mutually complementary cooperative relationship established in 1999 to a good-neighborly, friendly, and cooperative partnership. Former Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also visited Mongolia as UN Secretary-General in 2009. The Ban Ki-moon Foundation for a Better Future, which he founded, has supported the Trans-Altai Sustainability Dialogue in cooperation with Stanford University in the United States since 2022, and hosted the Mongolia Future Strategy Forum in Seoul and Mongolia last year and this year.