U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has agreed to work to designate a special U.N. day to encourage walking as a way of conserving energy and cutting greenhouse gas emissions, about one fourth of which result from transportation, South Korean organizers of the walking day said Wednesday.

The consideration by the South Korean head of the world body follows repeated requests by the South Korean organizers of the World Walking Day, a group headed by the chairman of the Korea Veterans Association, Park Seh-jik, a retired major general.

"About 10 representatives of the World Walking Day orgnizing committee, including Chairman Park Seh-jik and Gangwon Province Governor Kim Jing-sun, paid a visit to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on May 7 and requested the United Nations designate November 11 as 'World Walking Day'," the organizing committee said.

Ban agreed a world walking day would greatly help raise awareness of environmental issues and said the United Nations will do its utmost to support the designation of the special day, it said.

"I thank the efforts by the South Korean delegation and believe a world walking day would be a very good cause," Ban was quoted as telling his South Korean visitors.

"We will actively support designating a world walking day along with promotion of world peace."

bdk@yna.co.kr

Source: Yonhap English News