U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is to return to New York today, wrapping up his six-day visit to his native country and Japan. During his stay in Korea, he rocked political circles by strongly suggesting that he could run in the 2017 presidential election after completing his second term as U.N. chief.
“Next January, I will be a Korean citizen again. I will contemplate what I should do as a citizen, bearing in mind that people have high expectations for me,” Ban said in a press conference.
Lamenting that Korea was too divided, he also said that “a leader who is willing to sacrifice everything for national unity should come forward and present a vision.”
Ban, 71, dismissed concerns about his old age and physical strength by pointing out that two candidates in the ongoing U.S. presidential race were 70 and 76 years old.
He also cited some of his credentials by describing himself as “the only one to maintain a dialogue channel with both South Korea and North Korea.”
If the career diplomat decides to run for presidency, he will make a strong candidate. He has many things going for him, including his high name recognition among Korean voters and his extensive experience in the field of diplomacy.
In a survey conducted last week, the U.N. chief earned support from 38 percent of those surveyed, ahead of former opposition leader Moon Jae-in with 34.4 percent and Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the minor opposition People’s Party, with 21.4 percent.
Ban’s indication at a presidential bid was welcomed by the ruling Saenuri Party, which still has no presidential candidate to speak of.
While Ban has long been considered as an odds-on presidential candidate, he has thus far remained aloof from domestic politics. His latest statements in Seoul, however, suggest he has thought the time has come for him to disclose his presidential ambitions.
However, he picked a bad time. He still has seven more months to serve as U.N. chief. He needs to focus on urgent global affairs rather than divert his attention to domestic politics.
Furthermore, the time does not yet appear to be ripe for Ban, as a U.N. resolution adopted at the first General Assembly in 1946 restricts secretaries-general from taking government positions soon after their term ends.
Among former U.N. secretaries-general, two have thus far run for presidency in their home countries. But their presidential bids came more than four years after their retirement.
Even if Ban has presidential ambitions, he would do well to sit out the 2017 presidential election and wait for the next chance.
