UN chief to visit ROK, Europe

The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will leave New York for visits to the Republic of Korea (ROK), the Netherlands and Austria starting Wednesday.

"I will continue my travels later this week and depart Wednesday for an official visit to the Republic of Korea," Ban said at a press briefing held at the UN headquarters in New York Monday after he wrapped up his trip to the Middle East and Pakistan last week.

Ban is expected to meet with ROK President Park Geun-hye, Prime Minister Chong Hong-won and other senior officials in the East Asian country, as well as to visit his hometown Eumseong in North Chungcheong province, said a note from his spokesperson's office.

Ban will then travel to the Netherlands to take part in the centennial anniversary of the Peace Palace, which is located in the Hague and viewed as the seat of international law, before he will head for Austria to participate in a UN-EU event co-organized by Ban and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso.