South Korean peace campaigner Okhwan Yoon has been kidnapped, assaulted, held up, robbed (even here) and injured in traffic accidents as he has wandered through cities, mountains, deserts and forests to spread his message of peace.

The 47-year-old set foot on the island on Sunday as part of his attempt to cycle through nearly 200 countries to promote world peace.

But it only took a few moments for him to be conned in Malta. Someone offered to help him make travel arrangements to Sicily in exchange for €120 but the man just disappeared with the money.

"However, I try not to talk about the negative events but only the positive ones," he said abruptly.

"I do not want to report the man to the police because I can understand where he is coming from.

"Throughout my journey, I have discovered that peace cannot be achieved unless people stop thinking only about themselves.

"If we all stopped and spared a thought for others every once in a while, the world would be a better place," he said.

Travelling with nothing more than a bicycle, his fifth so far, and a backpack, Mr Yoon has already visited 177 countries of his planned 192.

It all began when, as a young law student, he started reading about world history and culture and learnt about "the chaos".

After he graduated he pursued further studies but suffered a bout of hepatitis and had to call it a day.

He eventually recovered, became a politician and set up a successful textile trading company, whose profits ultimately financed his journey.

"I suddenly fell ill again and in hospital, I thought about life. I saw patients walk in on their own two legs and being carried out in a coffin," he recalled.

An athletic man who has ridden a bicycle since he was six, Mr Yoon eventually decided to cycle round the world to deliver his message in person to as many people as possible.

After three years of preparing himself mentally and physically he began his journey eight years ago with relatively few countries now left to visit.

Mr Yoon is campaigning mostly for unity between North and South Korea, the last country divided by ideology.

"There are many bridges to cross but it can be done if the two communicated more. And it would be a big step towards world peace," he said.

Mr Yoon's next stop is Sicily, from where he will hop to Tunisia and apply for a visa to Libya and Saudi Arabia.

However, he is worried that his application may be refused and appealed to anyone who can assist him to come forward.

"In Egypt, I spent 40 days waiting for the Libyan and Saudi Arabian embassies to process my application and, in the end, they refused it," he said.

Nevertheless, Mr Yoon is looking forward to completing his journey next year - he is feeling mentally and physically exhausted after his years of travel.

Once he returns home, he plans to open a museum, or showroom as he calls it, where he will hang the photos he took in each country he visited to promote his cause.

"I have already received invitations to give speeches at universities and appear on television programmes," he said.

Meanwhile, the international media is currently playing on the idea of Mr Yoon receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, which - as he had predicted on his blog - was won this year by US President Barack Obama.