President Moon Jae-in met with Bono, the leader of the Irish rock band U2 and a humanitarian activist at Cheong Wa Dae for 40 minutes from 10:30 this morning. Bono is in Korea on the final leg of his band’s 2019 world tour.

Today’s meeting was arranged after Bono asked to make a courtesy call on the President while making his concert debut in Korea with U2 to express his appreciation for the Korean Government’s contributions to international efforts to eradicate diseases.

At the meeting, President Moon congratulated U2 for staging a concert in Korea and spoke highly of Bono’s actions to impart the value of peace and human rights to people around the world.

In response, Bono praised Korea’s economic development, commonly referred to as the Miracle on the Hangang River; the peace process; and participation in global development assistance. Notably, he said it was a genuine miracle that Korea, for the first time in the world, had transformed from a recipient of international aid to a donor.

“We’ve been able to make the progress seen today thanks to the help of the international community,” President Moon noted, adding “Now, our intended role is to provide help while keeping mind what we’ve received.”

President Moon emphasized that “Culture and the arts, including music, can play a significant role in the path toward peace.” Bono replied, “Music is powerful,” adding that South and North Korean musicians could play an important role in the Korean Peninsula peace process. 

At the conclusion, Bono presented a book of poetry signed by the Irish poet Seamus Heaney, winner of the 1995 Nobel Prize in Literature, adding that he had selected the book from his study. President Moon expressed his heartfelt gratitude for the precious gift and asked Bono not to forget the many U2 fans in Korea.