South Korean FM Ban Ki-Moon has been approved by the UN General Assembly to serve a five-year term as the eighth Secretary-General, effective January 1. Ban, 62, is the first Asian leader since Burma's U Thant led the UN from 1961 to 1971. The Security Council recommended Ban to the General Assembly after he comfortably beat six rivals in informal council polls.
Outgoing Secretary-General Kofi Annan addressed the General Assembly after approving his successor. He described Ban as "a future Secretary-General who is exceptionally attuned to the sensitivities of countries and constituencies in every continent."
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