U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon dismissed speculation Monday that he may run for South Korea's presidency next year, saying he plans to concentrate on his duties as U.N. chief.

Ban, who is on a six-day visit to his native South Korea, made headlines last week after making remarks that were interpreted as an indication of his interest in the election slated for December 2017.

"My remarks were somewhat exaggerated and blown up, which baffles me," he said during a press conference at a U.N. conference in Gyeongju, 371 kilometers southeast of Seoul.

The U.N. chief, however, did not say he would not run for president. (Yonhap)