Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon received on Thursday the Van Fleet Award from the Korea Society in New York for his contributions to promoting positive relations between South Korea and the U.S.

The Award is named after General James A. Van Fleet, who served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War and was the founding member of the U.S.-based non-governmental organization.

Since 1992, the Korea Society has presented the award to people who have contributed to the development of South Korea-U.S. relations.

This is the first time for a South Korean Foreign Minister to receive the honor.

Other recipients include former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, former U.S. Defense Secretary William Perry, and Kim Chul-su, ex-deputy director of the World Trade Organization.