U.N. chief’s homecoming draws keen attention as presidential election nears

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon listens to a speech at the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul on May 23, 2016. (Yonhap)

SEOUL (Yonhap) — U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will be visiting his native South Korea this week for the first time in a year, triggering a fresh political debate over his presidential ambitions.

Ban, whose six-day trip begins Wednesday, has long been talked about as a potential candidate in the presidential election slated for December 2017 due mainly to the wide public respect he commands as chief of the top global body.

The secretary-general has sought to distance himself from such talk, saying he wants to focus on his current job. Political watchers here, however, point to the fact that he has never expressly stated that he will not run for president.

“Secretary-General Ban appears to be every bit as political and power-oriented as anyone else (in his position),” political consultant Kim Hyo-tae wrote in a column in The Herald Business on Tuesday. “Therefore, he probably knows very well that opportunity will not always be by his side.”

Others have said that Ban is astute enough to know that timing is everything and the time for him to make a decision is approaching.

Speaking to South Korean correspondents in New York last week, Ban noted that he has seven months left until the end of his second five-year term as secretary-general. He then asked for their help to draw a successful close to his tenure but stopped short of commenting directly on the speculation over his potential presidential bid.

Adding to the rumors, a local newspaper reported on Sunday that some of Ban’s aides have begun work on a foundation to be launched under his name next year.

Although the exact nature of the foundation is unclear, such an organization could easily be used to pool resources and personnel for Ban’s possible presidential campaign.

“(The foundation) is one of the things Ban is considering after retirement, but I don’t know of any specific steps being taken,” a former diplomat close to Ban told Yonhap News Agency by phone.

Ban’s possible candidacy has received a further boost following the ruling Saenuri Party’s crushing defeat in April’s parliamentary elections.

The former South Korean foreign minister has been a favorite among potential presidential contenders in the ruling camp and the election results are seen to have left him as the only one standing.

Saenuri’s ex-chief Kim Moo-sung who had sometimes led popularity polls had to step down in disgrace after the conservative party only secured 122 seats out of 300 up for grabs. Another often mentioned champion, former Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon was defeated in the polls for a key district in Seoul that has tarnished his image as a presidential hopeful in the eyes of party supporters.

“While the general elections dealt a blow to Saenuri’s leadership, this conversely has left the field wide open for an outsider like Ban to fill the void,” a political commentator said. He added that with the pro-Park Geun-hye faction seemingly supporting Ban, the chances of him running in the presidential race are higher than ever before.

In a poll commissioned by broadcaster CBS and conducted by Realmeter last week, 38 percent of those polled were in favor of Ban running for president, followed by former opposition leader Moon Jae-in with 34.4 percent and Ahn Cheol-soo, head of the minor opposition People’s Party, with 21.4 percent. The nationwide survey was conducted on 1,052 people aged 19 and above.

Ban, meanwhile, begins his visit on the southern resort island of Jeju, where he is scheduled to deliver a speech at the opening ceremony of the Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity on Thursday.

On the forum’s sidelines, he will attend a dinner hosted by Unification Minister Hong Yong-pyo and hold talks with Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn.

After a two-day visit to Japan to attend a G7 summit, he will return home and meet with his mother and family before delivering another speech at the Rotary International Convention on Sunday.

From the convention in Goyang, just outside Seoul, Ban will travel to the Hahoe folk village in Andong in the country’s southeastern region, adding a cultural element to his trip. Andong is a city in the Gyeongsang region of the country, which has traditionally been the support base of South Korea’s conservative parties.

On the last leg of his tour, the U.N. chief will visit the southeastern city of Gyeongju to attend the U.N. Department of Public Information and Non-Governmental Organizations Conference.

He is scheduled to hold a press conference there before wrapping up his trip and returning to New York.