Book reveals Ban's leadership, feats

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon looks at his notes during a meeting at the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Durban, South Africa in December 2011, which is shown in the book “Ban Ki-moon: The Working Secretary General” written by Nam Jeong-ho. / Courtesy of UN Photo/Mark Garten

The cover of “Ban Ki-moon: The Working Secretary General” by Nam Jeong-ho / Couresy of Gimmyoung Publishers

By Kim Jae-heun

When Ban Ki-moon was elected as United Nations (U.N.) secretary general in 2006, local and international press reports were skeptical about the first-ever Korean to lead the global organization.

However, his leadership abilities and accomplishments have not been fully understood.

“Ban Ki-moon: The Working Secretary General,” a book written by Nam Jeong-ho, a former correspondent covering the U.N. who spent four years besides the secretary general, delves into his philosophy and how that affects his leadership.

“Living in New York and Seoul, I realized that Koreans were indifferent to Ban,” said Nam. “People recognize Ban as a great man, but no one knows about his accomplishments in the U.N. _ what he has done so far, the hardships he has gone through and the issues he is dealing with currently.”

Nam’s book reveals how Ban strived to become a leader of confidence amid distrust and heavy criticism that followed him in the early days of his time in office.

The story particularly highlights the validity of the secretary general’s “quiet diplomacy,” based on his Asian style of leadership that resulted in successful democratization in Myanmar. The author writes that the truce between the Dinka and Nuer in South Sudan was one of his accomplishments.

“The U.N. is still a North America and Western Europe centered organization. It’s all about national power and economic status. To some extent, Ban’s oriental philosophy to pursue moderation and humbleness based on trust and patience is not appreciated. It is a pity,” Nam said.

The author began writing the book in 2011. He spent nearly two years gathering sources since he arrived in Seoul after his term as a correspondent in New York ended in 2009. Nam published the book in 2014.

Divided into nine parts, the book not only talks about Ban’s achievements in settling armed conflicts around the world, but also behind-the-scenes stories about the secretary general elections for his first and second terms. Nam described every small detail he saw and felt while accompanying the U.N. head and recorded most of the comments world politicians made about Ban.

“I felt that is was my duty to write about Ban, because I knew him the best among the reporters. I also know well about the U.N. as I was a reporter under the politics, city and international desks, and served some years as a vice president of the United Nations Correspondents Association (UNCA),” Nam said.

Nam predicts that an autobiography or a biography will be published at the end of Ban’s term. He distinguishes his book from a biography in that, his story is written from a third person’s point of view and it can evaluate Ban’s work relatively objectively. However, he admitted that his motivation to praise and spread the word about the Korean secretary general’s achievements could be criticized as too positive.

Asked if Ban read his book, the author said he heard from diplomats that the U.N. chief was very pleased with it.

Nam Jeong-ho, the author of “Ban Ki-moon: The Working Secretary General” is currently an editorial writer at The JoongAng Ilbo.