President Yoon Suk Yeol met US Ambassador to Australia Caroline Kennedy on Wednesday and received the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award, five months after being honored by the US foundation, the presidential office said.

The ambassador, honorary president of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation and the daughter of the late US president, handed over a sterling silver lantern symbolizing the award to Yoon during their meeting at the presidential office.

The delivery comes after the foundation in October presented Yoon and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida with the special International Profile in Courage Award for their contribution to improving bilateral relations despite domestic opposition stemming from historical issues.

Yoon said he was honored to receive the award from the late president's family member.

"I will continue to contribute to peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region based on relations between South Korea and Japan and the trilateral cooperation among South Korea, the United States and Japan," Yoon was quoted as saying.

The award symbolizing a beacon of hope is modeled after the lantern on the USS Constitution, the oldest commissioned ship in the US Navy. (Yonhap)