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South Korean appears shoo-in to be U.N. chief

The foreign minister is a dedicated diplomat and a confessed workaholic.

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published October 3, 2006

SEOUL, South Korea - The South Korean foreign minister who is front-runner to become U.N. secretary-general first dreamed of becoming a diplomat when he met President John F. Kennedy at the White House in 1962.

As an 18-year-old student, Ban Ki Moon visited Washington on a program organized by the American Red Cross. His visit with Kennedy is captured in a black-and-white photo that shows Ban smiling among students from other countries as the president spoke.

Ban, 62, is gentle and soft-spoken and values relations with other people. Some call him a natural-born diplomat who has the ability to avoid making enemies.

Secretary-General Kofi Annan steps down from the post on Dec. 31, and Ban emerged Monday as his near-certain successor. He was the only one of six candidates to escape a veto in an informal Security Council ballot. While the informal poll is nonbinding and the results could change, diplomats and candidates left little doubt that Ban would win.

The 192-nation General Assembly must approve the council's choice - which it has traditionally done without debate or protest. A formal vote is expected Monday.

Ban has acknowledged criticism that he isn't strong enough for the job, but noted that as South Korea's top diplomat, he has dealt with such weighty issues as the international talks aimed at ending the nuclear standoff with neighboring North Korea.

"This has not been an easy job," Ban said in a recent interview. "You may look at me as a soft person, but I have inner strength. This is what normally people from the outside world would have some difficulty in seeing - people from Asia particularly, when we regard humility, a humbleness, as a very important virtue."

His dedication to his job is well known. He has said many times that it's one of his lifelong principles to put his job ahead of private affairs.

"I'm sorry for my family, but even if I can't take care of my home, I have to do my job first," he told a class of high school students last year. "Diplomats enjoy a lot of privileges and immunities abroad and therefore, they have unlimited responsibility."

The wedding ceremony of his eldest daughter last year coincided with a conference that he had to attend. Ban briefly stepped out of the conference to attend the wedding, and then returned to the convention center. It was unclear if he intentionally chose a wedding hall near the conference center.

His campaign for the U.N. position has been low-key, but there have been allegations in some media reports that South Korea has been seeking to buy the job by strategically giving aid to certain developing countries.

Last week, the South Korean Foreign Ministry strongly dismissed those claims, asserting that decisions on where to give aid were planned in advance of Ban's candidacy for secretary-general.

[Last modified October 3, 2006, 01:09:46]