Ban Ki-moon drops presidential bid

Former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon gets in his car after holding a press conference at the National Assembly, Wednesday, to announce he will not run in the presidential race. / Korea Times photo by Bae Woo-han

Surprise pullout shakes up race for presidency

By Kim Hyo-jin

Former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon gave up his presidential bid in a surprise announcement, Wednesday, amid stagnant approval ratings since his return from New York, Jan. 12.

"I have decided to give up my pure dream of changing politics and achieving national unity," he said in a press conference at the National Assembly.

Blaming existing politics, he said, "I was deeply disappointed with some politicians who showed an old-fashioned and narrow-minded attitude, and I reached the conclusion that it would be meaningless to join with them."

This came as a shock to his supporters as well as his aides who had not expected him to quit so abruptly because he had been increasing his contacts with voters, and actively meeting politicians.

The former U.N. chief had been the center of attention with rising public expectation that he would run in the presidential election, possibly slated for early this year, as a potential candidate of the conservative bloc.

The announcement was made as he had a hard time expanding his influence by forming alliances with other political forces.

Ban, the political newcomer, sought to join hands with existing politicians as an effort to gain momentum for his presidential bid.

He hinted that he could join an existing political party, only to receive the cold shoulder from the minor opposition People's Party.

Another possible option, the conservative Bareun Party, had welcomed him before but recently turned lukewarm as his popularity in opinion polls withered.

The career diplomat has struggled to impress voters amid criticism that he has few ideas about how to revive the country and has ambiguous stances on politically sensitive issues.

He has touted the need for "political reform" in a bid to present a contending slogan against leading presidential hopeful Moon Jae-in's "change of government" but he failed to give any details.

Since his return, the gap between Ban and frontrunner Moon, the former leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), in opinion polls has widened. This was partly attributable to a series of his slip-ups while on a hectic tour around the country, according to political observers.

A conversation with a spokesman was overheard when he blamed reporters for repeatedly asking about his position on the controversial sex slavery deal between Seoul and Tokyo, saying they were "bad guys."

Ban's support rate, which had topped public polls with over 30 percent before his return home, has dropped fast over the past three weeks and is now in the low double digits.

In the latest opinion poll by Research and Research, Ban's support stood at 13.1 percent, trailing Moon's 32.8 percent.

Bribery allegations surrounding him and his relatives also put Ban at a disadvantage.

A report last week that the U.S. government had asked the justice ministry to arrest his brother Ban Ki-sang on bribery charges raised the public's ire, further dragging down the support.

Ki-sang and his son Joo-hyun are accused of attempting to give a $500,000 bribe to a government official in Qatar in return for business favors.

Ban himself has been grilled by opposition parties over allegations that he received $230,000 (280 million won) in bribes from Park Yeon-cha, an entrepreneur who was at the center of a bribery scandal involving former President Roh Moo-hyun and his aides.

Mindful of the opposition's attack on the corruption allegations, Ban said during the press conference, "My aim, coming out of a pure sense of patriotism, was sabotaged by slander and fake news. It only undermined my reputation and the honor of the U.N. for which I served for ten years."

Parties showed mixed responses to Ban's surprise withdrawal.

The DPK said in a statement, "It is sudden but we respect his decision. We want to reiterate that public passion is heading toward a change of the government."

The ruling Saenuri Party said, "It is shocking and such a shame as we lost a big asset because of political attacks."

Moon, who is expected to gain a boost by Ban dropping out, told reporters, "It is regrettable as I expected a sound competition with him. I believe there are many ways for him to work for the country other than politics, like in the diplomatic field."

When asked about a possible role for Ban in the next administration if he takes power, the frontrunner said, "I'd like to seek advice from him on diplomatic issues."

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