[Aju News DB]
Outgoing UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon emerged as the front-running presidential candidate in a poll released Monday after he hinted at joining the race to succeed South Korea's embattled President Park Geun-hye.
In a survey conducted by Real Meter, Ban, 72, garnered an approval rating of 23.3 percent, up 2.8 percentage points on week, ahead of Moon Jae-in, a strong opposition candidate who earned 23.1 percent. Seongnam Mayor Lee Jae-myung was at a distant third with 12.3 percent.
Ban's popularity rose especially in the traditional political base of Park, who was impeached by parliament on December 9 for her role in a corruption scandal involving her arrested crony, Choi Soon-sil, that triggered an unusual wave of candle-lit protests. If the constitutional court confirms Park's impeachment, a presidential election should be held within two months.
Ban, however, faces new allegations that he took some 200,000 US dollars from a businessman while serving as South Korea's foreign minister. The businessman was convicted in a bribery case involving the older brother of late President Roh Moo-hyun and Roh's top aides.
The Sisa Journal, a weekly magazine in Seoul, reported that the businessman asked a restaurant owner in New York to deliver another $30,000 to Ban in early 2007, right after he was elected UN secretary-general.
Ban strongly denied the report, asking the magazine to withdraw its story. In a statement released Saturday, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the report was "completely false and groundless".
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
