Seoul city mayor Park Won-soon expressed his guarded opposition Wednesday to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon running for South Korea's presidential election next year, as a political debate heats up over his possible candidacy.
Ban, whose second five-year term as UN chief ends late this year, has long been cited as a potential presidential candidate despite efforts to distance himself from being involved in political affairs in South Korea.
His possible candidacy has been at the center of political debate since the ruling Saenuri Party suffered a crushing defeat in parliamentary elections in April. The election, seen as a test of gauging public sentiment ahead of the presidential race in December 2017, saw Saenuri falling to the second largest group in parliament.
The Seoul mayor said the UN chief should avoid taking on any meaningful governmental post after his term expired, citing a 1946 UN resolution. "I think the resolution must be respected because it was written to ensure fairness."
Park, who is also mentioned as a possible presidential candidate, said Ban should make a decision for himself after reading South Korea's public opinion.
Ban, 71, told South Korean journalists in New York last week that he wanted to focus on his duty during the remaining term of his office and to draw a successful close to his tenure.
A recent political survey showed that 38 percent of 1,052 voters were in favor of Ban running for president, followed by opposition leader Moon Jae-in with 34.4 percent.
On Wednesday, Ban arrived in the southern resort island of Jeju to deliver a speech at a forum. On its sidelines, he was to meet government officials including Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn.
After a two-day visit to Japan to attend a G7 summit, he will visit his hometown to see his mother and deliver a speech at the Rotary International Convention on Sunday. For his final event, Ban will attend the UN Department of Public Information and Non-Governmental Organizations Conference in the southeastern city of Gyeongju.
Aju News Lim Chang-won = cwlim34@ajunews.com
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
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