Yongin City to Host Special Lecture by Former Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on the 5th of Next Month

Climate Crisis Response Measures Topic

Yongin City in Gyeonggi Province will host the '2023 Carbon Neutrality Distinguished Lecture' on the 5th of next month at the City Hall Ace Hall, inviting former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as a guest speaker.

In this lecture, former Secretary-General Ban will speak on the topic of 'Responding to the Climate Change Crisis in the Global Era and the Role of Local Governments.' After serving as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Secretary-General of the UN, Ban chaired the Presidential Committee on Climate and Environment in 2019. He currently serves as Chairman of the Ban Ki-moon Foundation for a Better Future and as Chair of the Ethics Commission of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

This special lecture by former Secretary-General Ban was made possible through his long-standing relationship with Yongin Mayor Lee Sang-il. Mayor Lee first met Ban in 1995 when he was a political reporter for JoongAng Ilbo covering the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Ban was then the Director-General for Foreign Policy. Later, during his 3 years and 6 months as a Washington correspondent, Mayor Lee maintained contact with Ban Ki-moon, who was active in New York at the time as UN Secretary-General.

Also speaking at the event will be Professor Kwak Jae-sik of Soongsil Cyber University, who is also a science fiction writer, delivering a lecture on 'Climate Change and Industrial Transformation.' This lecture is open to all Yongin citizens without reservation.

Mayor Lee stated, "I expect that the lectures by former Secretary-General Ban and Professor Kwak will effectively convey to Yongin citizens the seriousness of the climate crisis and the importance of achieving carbon neutrality," adding, "Yongin City will actively conduct education and promotional campaigns to encourage greenhouse gas reduction among the local community and citizens, securing long-term momentum to implement a '2050 Carbon Neutral Society.'"

Meanwhile, on the 10th of last month, Yongin City invited Kim Sang-hyup, Co-Chairman of the 2050 Carbon Neutral Green Growth Committee, to deliver a special lecture on the topic of 'Domestic and International Carbon Neutrality Climate Crisis Response Status and Policy Trends.'