Ban Ki-moon to 'declare position on candidacy'

Ban Ki-moon to 'declare position on candidacy'. December. 17, 2016 07:00. by Hyong-gwon Pu bookum90@donga.com. At a farewell reception held at the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations building on Thursday (local time), UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said, "Most of the crisis brought to the international society falls under the responsibility of political leaders who do not heed to the public. A leader should have compassion for the people who gave support, and pay close attention to what they have to say."

UN officials translated Ban's comments that "though this has been mostly aimed at dictators of the third world countries, it will also apply to all leaders who let down their own people."

On questions as to whether he has plans to vie for the presidency after his retirement, Ban said, "My answer will be heard at the meeting with the correspondents scheduled next Thursday. I will arrive in Korea as planned near mid-January. I will collect public opinions (in Korea), and seek ways to help my motherland."

On questions related to affiliation with former Prime Minister Jung Woon-chan who was born and raised in Chungcheong region like Ban and recently declared his plans for the presidency, Ban said, "We met frequently when he was the visiting researcher at Princeton University, and we also meet quite often now and then." Still, when asked about his opinions on Chung's recent announcement, Ban said, "That I do not know for sure, as I have a lot to catch up on Korean politics."

Ban also said his farewell to President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, and the U.S. National Security Advisor Susan Rice at the White House this morning. During the meeting, President Obama commended Ban's achievements that "international politics is full of complex and difficult issues, just like baseball (when compared to sports). In baseball, you are a slugger if you show a batting average of 0.3, and Secretary General Ban also successfully overcame international issues (like a 0.3 batter)." "President Obama hit numerous homeruns in various issues such as climate change," Ban said.