U.N. chief to ride Hyundai Motor’s armored limousine as official car

Published : Dec 18, 2012 - 18:35 Updated : Dec 18, 2012 - 18:35

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon (second from left), South Korean Ambassador to the U.N. Kim Sook (right), Hyundai Motor America CEO John Krafcik (third from left) and a Hyudai Motor America staff member pose in front of the bullet-proof Equus limousine donated by the Korean government at the U.N. headquarters in New York on Monday. The limousine was made by South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Co. (Hyundai Motor)

UNITED NATIONS (Yonhap News) ― U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was given an armored limousine made by South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Co. on Monday as he moved back into his newly renovated office in the U.N. headquarters, officials said.

Ban accepted the bullet-proof Equus limousine, Hyundai’s top-of-the-line sedan, at a ceremony attended by Kim Sook, the South Korean ambassador to the U.N., and Hyundai’s executives in New York.

In accordance with U.N. rules, the limousine was donated to the U.N. from the South Korean government, and it was the first time that an Asian country has donated a car to a U.N. chief, officials said.

“I would like to thank the Korean government and Hyundai Motor for the donation of this excellent car,” Ban said at the ceremony.

The U.N. started renovating its decades-old headquarters in 2008 and the renovation project is set to be completed next year.

Asked about how he feels about returning to office, Ban replied, “I feel as if I am coming to office for the first time like when I became the Secretary-General.”