It’s that rare institution that can make diplomacy look glamorous, fun, and important, and that’s what the Asia Society pulled off at its annual dinner Tuesday night.

The secretary-general of the United Nations, Ban Ki-Moon, opened his remarks by noting that the Grand Ballroom of the Waldorf-Astoria, where the event was held, had served as his family’s dining room before his official residence in Turtle Bay was ready.

“Now that I’m in my official residence, I’ve had to downsize,” Mr. Ki-Moon said. He told the audience of 400 guests that he would be leaving the dinner early “to catch a train to Buenos Aires.” He later flew to Argentina to embark on a tour of regions affected by climate change.

Before departing, however, Mr. Ki-Moon thanked the Asia Society’s chairman, one of America’s most distinguished diplomats, Richard Holbrooke, for helping orient him in his new position, which he assumed in January. Mr. Ki-Moon described Mr. Holbrooke’s inquiries about specific clauses in the U.N. charter as a “cold shower,” but one that helped get him up to speed.

Mr. Holbrooke’s role at this black-tie party was more to inform than to question. He gave a tribute to one of the society’s most ardent supporters, Arthur Ross, who, shortly before he died in August, had requested weekly updates on the progress of the U.S.-China Center, which he helped fund. Mr. Holbrooke acknowledged the presence in the audience of Ross’s widow, Janet Ross, and his son, Clifford.

Mr. Holbrooke also came to the podium to announce that the Asia Society is opening a new center in Seoul, Korea.

“We thought this was the most obvious gap,” Mr. Holbrooke said. The society has 10 other outposts in places such as Hong Kong, Mumbai, and the Philippines. Stateside centers are located in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Houston, where a new building designed by the architect of the recent Museum of Modern Art renovation, Yoshio Taniguchi, is being erected.

The center in Seoul, like the other centers, will present programs addressing technology, policy, business, and the arts. It is set to open in April 2008.

Mr. Ki-Moon, Mr. Taniguchi, and the chairman and chief executive of the Coca-Cola Company, Neville Isdell, received awards from the society at the event.

Those seated at the VIP table included two new trustees of the society elected this summer: the chairman and chief executive of Citigroup’s International Global Consumer Group, Ajay Banga, and the chairman, chief executive, and co-founder of the Blackstone Group, Stephen Schwarzman.

Highlights of the event were a performance by the Iranian vocalist Shahram Nazeri and his son, composer Hafez Nazeri, celebrating the Sufi poet Rumi, and the Asian-inspired menu that featured cilantro-lime cabbage salad and steamed shrimp dumplings.

agordon@nysun.com