Lee receives Rotary International award

SEOUL, May 22 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Myung-bak was presented Friday with Rotary International's highest award for what the organization called his years of contributions to the development of Korea and the world.

Lee is the third South Korean to receive the Rotary International Award of Honor
after U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and former South Korean President Kim
Young-sam, according to the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae.
"President Lee received the Rotary award for his successful achievement in
transforming Seoul into an environmentally friendly city and his devotion as a
head of state to the development of his country and prosperity of the world amid
the global economic crisis," Cheong Wa Dae said in a press release.
The award was presented by the South Korean head of the international
organization, Lee Dong-kurn, at a ceremony held at the presidential office.
Previous recipients of the award include former U.S. presidents George W. Bush
and Bill Clinton, as well as former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.