South Korea – The Dalai Lama has accepted an invitation to visit Gwangju for a summit of Nobel Peace Prize laureates scheduled for June and hosted by the city government.
Gwangju City officials said Thursday the Tibetan spiritual leader, winner of the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize, accepted an invitation to attend the Gwangju summit and asked the city to provide the necessary visa. The Dalai Lama was quoted as welcoming the opportunity for dialogue about international cooperation and expressing his hope to contribute to building peace in Asia based on trust in non-violence.
Gwangju is inviting some 20 laureates including former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev, former Polish president Lech Walesa, former U.S. president Jimmy Carter, and UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to the three-day conference starting June 15. The event will focus on democracy in Korea and Asia, and the way to foster peace in the region.
