South Korean President Lee Myung- bak met with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon over climate change, South Korea's role in global issues, and inter-Korean relations, the presidential office said Tuesday.
During the meeting held in New York on Monday (local time), Lee said South Korea will play a leading role in global efforts to tackle climate changes in response to the secretary general's request.
"Lee explained that South Korea will actively participate in settling a deal at the climate conference in Copenhagen in December by announcing the country's voluntary greenhouse gas emission reduction targets within the year," the presidential office said in a press release.
Lee also vowed to continue to make contributions to the international community by expanding the country's official development aid and peacekeeping operations.
With respect to inter-Korean relations and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s nuclear program, Lee praised Ban's thus-far efforts and concerns in the matter.
The UN chief said the United Nations will do what it can to help resolve the nuclear issue and improve inter-Korean relations, according to the presidential office.
Ban, in addition, said the final goal of the financial sanctions on the DPRK was not to punish the country, but to end its nuclear issue by encouraging it to return to the negotiating table, Lee Dong-kwan, secretary for public relations, said.
The meeting came one day before a UN summit on climate change, during which ways to generate enough force for a major agreement at the December conference will be discussed.
The recent meeting in New York marks as the sixth gathering between the two leaders since Lee's inauguration, the presidential office said.