1. Miroslav Lajcak, President of the 72^nd session of the UN General Assembly and Foreign Minister of Slovakia, will visit the Republic of Korea from February 7 till 11 to attend the opening ceremony of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.

° President Lajcak is the eighth President of the UN General Assembly to visit the ROK and first to do so in seven years since the visit in 2011 by then President Al-Nasser of the 66^th session of the UN General Assembly.

2. Prior to his visit to the ROK, President Lajcak contributed greatly to the efforts to make the PyeongChang Winter Olympics a successful and peaceful event.

° At its plenary session chaired by President Lajcak on November 13, 2017, the UN General Assembly adopted without vote (by consensus) an “Olympic Truce” resolution, which was co-sponsored by 157 countries. In the plenary session of the UN General Assembly on January 26, 2018, the President made a solemn appeal to observe the Olympic Truce.

※ The UN General Assembly adopts an “Olympic Truce” resolution on a biennial basis in a move to revive the ancient Greek tradition calling for a complete suspension of hostilities during the Olympic Games. The latest resolution mainly calls for the observance of the Olympic Truce around the time of the sporting event as well as the promotion of peace, development and human rights through sports; and expresses expectation toward the Pyeongchang event as an opportunity to foster an atmosphere of peace on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia.

※ In his solemn appeal, the President mainly urged “all warring parties of current armed conflicts around the world to boldly agree to true mutual ceasefires for the duration of the Olympic Truce”; brought renewed attention to the “Olympic Truce” resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly; took note of the contributive role of sports in sustainable development efforts; and highlighted the progress in cooperation between the UN and the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

3. In the ROK, President Lajcak will pay a courtesy call on Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon and attend the luncheon to be hosted by National Assembly Speaker Chung Sye-kyun, during both of which the two sides will discuss the ROK-UN relations, issues concerning the Korean Peninsula and major issues covered by the UN General Assembly. The forthcoming visit to the ROK by the representative of the 193 member states of the UN, like UN Secretary-General Guterres’ visit to the ROK from February 7 till 10, is expected to serve as an opportunity to further step up the ROK-UN cooperation.

※ President Lajcak will deliver a keynote speech at “the Global Sustainable Development Forum 2018,” which will be co-hosted by the Yonsei University Institute for Global Engagement and Empowerment and the Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens on February 7 and 8. He will also participate in the Olympic Torch Relay as a torchbearer.

4. The 193-member UN General Assembly is the UN’s highest decision-making organ, and its one-year-term President is elected on an annual basis and through a system of rotation among regional groups.

° During the 56^th session of the UN General Assembly from September 2001 till September 2002, then Foreign Minister Han Seung-soo of the ROK served as its President.

* unofficial translation