U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday denied any interest in a career in Korean politics, after his current term concludes.
Following a recent survey that put Ban as the popular favorite in the next presidential election, local politicians have hinted at backing him, and his close associates have even made appeals on his behalf.
In a statement released early Wednesday, Ban’s office said that the secretary-general had no knowledge of the developments reported by the Korean media.
“Some politicians and the media have made reports hinting at Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s interest in domestic politics, but he would like to make it clear that he has no knowledge of (the reported developments) and that they are not true,” the statement said.
Listing ongoing issues, such as the Ebola epidemic, terrorism and others that require a global response, the statement went on to say that Ban was fully engaged in his duties as the U.N. secretary-general.
The statement also urged the media to refrain from reporting survey results and other developments tying Ban to Korean politics, saying that he has consistently stated that linking him to domestic politics was inappropriate.
“If reports concerning the politics of (Ban’s) country of origin continue, unnecessary questions will be raised by secretariat officials and the U.N. member nations, which may have a negative effect on performing his duties as the U.N. secretary-general.”
Ban’s current five-year term ends in 2016, a year before the next presidential election. Although there are no limits in the number of terms, no secretary-general to date has served more than two terms.
Despite Ban’s protestations, he was picked as the favorite presidential contender, with ratings of nearly 40 percent.
The survey prompted the ruling Saenuri Party to discuss the possibility of Ban running in the 2017 presidential election, with pro-Park Geun-hye lawmakers concluding that the diplomat could be an answer to overturning the negative public opinion against the ruling party.
Soon after the pro-Park faction’s discussions, there were some claims that Ban was considering joining the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy.
According to Kwon Roh-kap, an NPAD senior adviser and one of the key members of late President Kim Dae-jung’s Donggyo-dong faction, Ban’s associates had recently approached him.
Kwon said that a “very close associate” of Ban had requested that he take the U.N. secretary-general into the NPAD.
While Ban’s office did not specifically address claims from either party, some local reports have said that Ban has no close associates with connections in Korean politics, citing an unnamed U.N. official.
koreaherald@heraldcorp.com
