On October 12, the ceremony for the Conferment of an Honorary Doctoral Degree upon H.E. Luis Guillermo Solís Rivera, the president of the Republic of Costa Rica, was held in Global Conference Hall, Centennial Memorial SAMSUNG Hall of Korea University (KU). President Solís received an honorary doctorate degree on political science for his contribution to peace and democracy of his country. President Solís came to visit Korea from October 10 to 14, and he had just finished a summit with President Park Geun Hye of Korea in the morning of October 12.

 

Solís’s acquisition of honorary doctoral degree was applauded by participants from various backgrounds, including the delegates of Costa Rica and Korea, students who participated in the KU-Latin America Costa Rica program, and students from Costa Rica studying in KU. Park Gil-Sung, the dean of the KU Graduate School, first introduced President Solís, and gave a recommendation address of his dedication.

 

Yeom Jaeho, the president of KU, mentioned in his congratulatory address that, “President Solís made important contributions to peace, reconciliation, and cooperation in Central America. President Solís is being praised for his strong and inclusive leadership. His life journey illustrates the great values of Costa Ricans, such as the importance of education, peace, cooperation, and diversity. I strongly believe that Costa Rica has a bright future because it has leaders like Solís. It is my great honor to present this honorary degree to President Solís.”

 

In return, President Solís gave him a wide embrace and thanked everyone in his graceful moment. “It is a great gratitude that I have come to accept the honorable degree conferred to me by the prestigious Korea University. We have a great responsibility; it is something that concerns both the current and future generations, in the world of urgent need for effective measures towards the prohibition of nuclear weapons, peace, and security are indeed global public goods which cannot be overshadowed. As the representative of Costa Rica, the country which cherished tradition of promoting international peace and security, I take part in this event, making a call for new international efforts toward nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation and expressing our commitment to irreversibly achieve nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation as a necessary contribution to world peace and sustainable development,” he said.