Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a two-day visit to South Korea, unveiled a bust of Mahatma Gandhi and paid homage to the Father of the Nation at the 134-year-old Yonsei University in Seoul on Thursday.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in, First Lady Kim Jung-sook and former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and president of Yonsei University Yong-Hak Kim were also present at the unveiling.

In his message following the ceremony, the PM said that the honour of unveiling the bust becomes “even more special because we are doing so at a time when we mark the 150th birth anniversary of Bapu”.

“The thoughts and ideals of Bapu have the power to help us overcome the menace of terrorism and climate change, two challenges humanity faces in these times,” he said.

The PM’s comments came at a time when India is grappling with the loss of 44 CRPF jawans in a dastardly terror attack in Jammu-Kashmir’s Pulwama on 14 February, the responsibility of which was claimed by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM).

“My friend Ban Ki-moon, when he was the United Nations Secretary General (UNSG), then the UN declared 2nd October as the International Day of Non-violence. In a way this helped pave the way for us to combat terrorism,” he said.

“Through his lifestyle, Bapu showed what living in harmony with nature is. He also showed that it is important to leave a clean and green planet for the future generations,” the PM said underlining India’s significant role in the efforts to check climate change.

“In the 20th century, Gandhi was perhaps mankind’s biggest gift. In the last century, through his life and personality, he showed what the future would be. He in fact used to say my life is the message,” Modi said in his address in the South Korean capital.

The PM also expressed his gratitude to all the people from around the world who came together for a rendition of “Vaishanava Jana To”, Bapu’s favourite bhajan.

Many prominent singers from around 150 countries had recently sang the bhajan as part of the global celebrations on the 150th birth anniversary of the Mahatma.

The PM said that bust of Mahatma Gandhi in the university will inspire current as well as future students who would be inquisitive about his life and ideals.

In South Korea, the PM will receive the Seoul Peace Prize which was conferred on him by the Seoul Peace Prize Foundation in October last year. The biennial honour has been conferred on 14 individuals or organisations since 1990, four of whom have gone on to win the Nobel Prize for Peace.

Earlier today, the PM launched the Startup Grand Challenge at the India-Korea Business Symposium.

Read More | India-Korea business ties have become especially closer in last few years: PM Modi in Seoul

Speaking at the business symposium, which had both Indian and South Korean business leaders in attendance, the PM said that “Korea was and still remains our role model of economic growth”.