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HAENGCHI, South Korea: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon received a rapturous welcome when he returned to his home village in South Korea on Saturday to visit the graves of his father and ancestors.
Hundreds of local people and relatives turned out to welcome Ban back to the remote farming village where he was born and spent his early childhood, some travelling large distances in the summer heat to see its most famous son.
Ban's mother broke down in tears when she saw her son, who said he wished his father could have been there to see what he had achieved.
"I am pleased to be back to my birthplace, my home town. This is very humbling," he told reporters on his first visit here since taking office.
"I paid my tribute to my late father, my grandfather, all the ancestors. I wish my father could have seen what I am now. My father in fact had always wished that I should be a good public servant. I think I made it," he said.
Accompanied by his mother and wife and followed by hundreds of villagers, he climbed narrow dirt paths to the top of two hills to visit his father's grave and the pagoda that houses his ancestors' tombs.
Ban knelt in front of his father's grave to pray and make offerings of food before delivering a speech, urging the gathered crowd to broaden their horizons and take an interest in world affairs.
Proud residents of this picturesque, mountain-ringed village in central South Korea have put up road signs to guide motorists to the birthplace of the UN chief and even named a street after him.
He was greeted by traditional musicians and drummers and banners that read "Welcome UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon," and even his school teacher came to see him.
"Everybody here watches TV to see if Mr. Ban is on TV," said local resident Lee Young-ae, 62. "I want my granddaughter to become like Mr. Ban."
The secretary general's nephew Ban Chung-hyun, 31, travelled from Seoul to visit the village.
"I was so proud," he said of his uncle's achievements.
Villagers presented Ban with a written family history as well as a box of prize-wining watermelons, for which the farming region is known, before taking a family picture and giving a traditional three-cheers to celebrate his visit.
"Long live UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon! Long live the Republic of Korea! Long live world peace!" they shouted, throwing their arms into the air.
Ban was mobbed by people asking for handshakes and photographs until the moment he left the village.
The secretary general told reporters he was "very much humbled, and grateful" to all those who had made his visit "really meaningful."
- AFP/jk
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