U.S. President-elect Barack Obama will be sworn in as the first African American to hold the office of U.S. president early Wednesday morning, Korean time.

A day before the historic inauguration ceremony, Obama visited a homeless shelter for teens and the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington.

During a Monday ceremony marking Martin Luther King Jr. Day --- which commemorates the work of the U.S. human rights activist --- Obama stressed the importance volunteering will play in efforts to rebuild the nation.

As requested by the Obama camp, some six-thousand volunteer programs were held across the U.S. to mark the day.

With only one more day until Obama’s inauguration, flocks of people from all corners of the U.S., as well as other nations, have made their way to Washington for the ceremony.