Britain's Prince Edward, Queen Elizabeth II's youngest son, visited South Korea Wednesday to attend a global gathering of youth achievement award holders, local organizers said.

Edward arrived at Incheon International Airport just west of Seoul earlier in the day and was welcomed by officials from the British Embassy in South Korea.

There was no formal welcoming ceremony at the airport because he made the visit for private activities, not as a state guest, said the Korea Youth Work Agency, the Korean office of the Duke of Edinburgh's International Award Foundation that hosts the event.

During his first-ever trip to South Korea, Edward is scheduled to attend the International Gold Event (IGE) 2014 Korea that began in Cheonan, 92 kilometers south of Seoul, on Friday for a 10-day run. 

Edward will attend the event in his capacity as the chairman of the foundation. Some 100 young people from 34 countries around the world, including six from South Korea, are taking part in the event.

The IGE is a triennial gathering which brings together Gold Award holders. The last event was held in Kenya in 2011. (Yonhap)