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U.N. chief denies `special relationship` with late businessman involved in alleged bribery

U.N. chief denies `special relationship` with late businessman involved in alleged bribery

Posted April. 18, 2015 07:12,   

한국어

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday (local time) denied his allegedly close relationship with Sung Wan-jong, the late chairman of Keangnam Enterprises who claimed that the Park Geun-hye administration had launched a bribery investigation into the construction company in order to prevent the U.N. chief from running in South Korea`s next presidential election.

"I have known (Sung) from official occasions but do not have any special relationship with him," Ban told reporters after meeting with Ed Royce, chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs at Congress.

"I know the things (about Sung) from media reports," Ban said. "But I have nothing to do with the case." He said that he had "no interest" in or time for South Korea`s domestic politics, adding that he was "perplexed" about the allegation even though he had previously expressed his position.

When the South Korean media reported on Ban`s presidential ambition in November last year, the U.N. chief said in a press release that he had no knowledge about such speculations and that it was "not appropriate" to link him with Seoul`s domestic politics regardless of his will.

On Thursday afternoon, Ban made public his retirement plan at an event held at the National Press Club in Washington. In a dinner speech at the event, he said he wanted to take his wife to "nice restaurants" and "spend a lot of time" with his grandchildren after retirement. The remarks are interpreted as his intention to stress that he has no political ambition in South Korea. He was peppered with questions from South Korean reporters while getting out of the event venue but gave them nothing but a smile.

Despite Ban`s denial of his relationship with Sung, those close to the late businessman make arguments to the contrary. In a telephone interview with the Kyunghyang Shinmun daily before committing suicide, Sung stressed that "it is true that I am close to Ban Ki-moon."

A person close to Sung said Friday that the two were "very close," telling an episode involving the U.N. chief. "On August 26, 2013, Chairman Sung hosted a seminar organized by the Seosan Scholarship Foundation at a hotel in Seoul where many residents from Seosan and Taean, South Chungcheong Province were present. U.S. Secretary-General Ban approached (Sung) to say hello and take a commemorative photo," the person said. He also claimed Ban had said that he had to come to the seminar despite his busy schedule because he "owed very much" to Sung.



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