By Xu Aiying and Lee Hana

President Moon Jae-in on Dec. 9 thanked Bono, frontman of the Irish band U2, for spreading a message of peace for the Korean Peninsula during the band's first concert in Korea held the day before.

"I heard the music was fantastic, and that Seoul's Gocheok Sky Dome was filled with 45,000 Korean fans singing your songs in unison," the president told the singer-activist.

The president also lauded Bono for his activism, protecting human rights and spreading peace around the world, calling the band's opening number "Sunday, Bloody Sunday" and its final song "One" songs that Koreans could relate to on a personal level. 

The singer expressed his respect for President Moon, citing his leadership and peace initiative for the peninsula.

"I respect the determination you've shown in making sure that our hope for peace is not merely a dream but something we can achieve in reality," Bono said. 

  Founded in Dublin, Ireland, in 1976, U2 has sold an estimated 180 million albums worldwide and won 22 Grammys over the course of its illustrious career.

Bono is known for his activism and pursuit of social justice, even earning a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize. In 2004, he co-founded the ONE Campaign, an international organization that fights extreme poverty and preventable diseases, particularly in Africa.

First lady Kim Jung-sook was one of many fans that attended the U2 concert in Seoul, which is part of "U2: The Joshua Tree Tour."

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