South Korean President Park Geun-hye encountered U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Wednesday at a welcoming banquet for Asian and other leaders attending a high-profile regional summit in Myanmar.
The two talked as they walked to pose for group photos at the banquet at the Myanmar International Convention Center, a day before the East Asia Summit in Myanmar's capital.
Details of their conversation were not immediately available.
Ban arrived in Myanmar to attend the summit at the invitation by the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which includes major members of the East Asia Summit.
Park's meeting with Ban drew South Korean media attention as it came amid lingering speculation on Ban's potential bid for the presidency in 2017.
Ban's second five-year term is set to end at the end of 2016, a year before South Koreans go to the polls to elect a new president to replace Park.
Park's single five-year term ends in early 2018, and by law she cannot seek re-election.
Ban, a former South Korean foreign minister, has been cited as the most favored among potential presidential candidates in South Korean polls, with the two major South Korean political parties claiming that Ban will run on their ticket.
Ban's office in New York quickly disavowed any presidential ambitions, though speculation has not died down.
Also Wednesday, Park met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and asked him to allow South Korean companies to participate in huge infrastructure projects in the world's second-most populous country, according to Park's office.
Modi told Park that he welcomes South Korean companies' investment in construction projects in India.
Park also congratulated Modi on the success of India's space agency in placing a probe in orbit around Mars in September, the first such achievement by an Asian country.
It marked the first time that Park has met with Modi since May, when he took office in the world's largest democracy.
The East Asia Summit is an 18-nation forum grouping ASEAN plus its eight dialogue partners -- South Korea, China, Japan, the U.S., Russia, Australia, India and New Zealand.
ASEAN consists of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam.
On Thursday, participants in the East Asia Summit could discuss ways to tackle global issues such as the Ebola virus and the terrorist organization known as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, according to Park's office.
Park also plans to attend a summit between ASEAN and its three Northeast Asian dialogue partners -- South Korea, China and Japan.
From Myanmar, Park will fly to Brisbane, Australia, for a summit of the Group of 20 advanced and emerging economies. The summit's wide-ranging agenda includes anti-corruption issues, development and trade. (Yonhap)
