Speculation grows over Ban's possible presidential bid

By Yi Whan-woo

Ban Ki-moon

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is scheduled to attend a string of events during a six-day visit to Korea starting Wednesday, fueling speculation that he is preparing to run in the 2017 presidential election.

Ban was originally scheduled to attend the U.N. Department of Public Information’s Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Conference in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province from May 30 to June 1 during his first trip back home since May 2015.

He then added the Jeju Forum in Seogwipo, Jeju Island, and the 2016 Rotary International Convention in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province on his schedule. He will also visit Hahoe Folk Village in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province.

Ban, who is regarded as a probable 2017 presidential contender despite denials by him, said his trip is not politically motivated and he does not plan to meet any politicians.

But speculation remains that he is seeking to build relations with people in the region, including local government officials and regional community elders, and woo them before he wraps up his trip on May 30.

The Jeju Self-Governing Province will host the Jeju Forum, an annual multinational dialogue to discuss issues on security and prosperity in the East Asia, from Wednesday to Friday. Up to 50,000 participants are anticipated to come to the 2016 Rotary International Convention aimed at learning and sharing cultures and technology of the convention’s member states from May 29 to June 1.

The UNESCO-designated Hahoe Folk Village is where members of the country’s Ryu clan live and have preserved a clan-based community established under the leadership of elders since the 16th century during the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910). The region has been a stronghold of the ruling Saenuri Party.

There have also been rumors that a couple of Ban’s aides from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs plan to set up a foundation named after him. Ban served as foreign minister before being named the U.N. chief in 2007.

Several aides to Park are believed to have ties with Ban.

They include Yoon Yeo-cheol, a presidential protocol officer who is Ban’s former chief of protocol at the U.N.

Both Ban and Lee Won-jong, who was appointed as Park’s presidential chief of staff on May 15, hail from North Chungcheong Province.