Ban Ki-moon leaves for Kenya for family reunion
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Former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon speaks to reporters while leaving his house in Sadang-dong, Seoul, Feb. 2. / Yonhap
By Lee Han-soo
Former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon left Korea for Kenya Thursday to reunite with his family.
Ban will visit his youngest daughter, Hyun-hee, a UNICEF employee, and his son-in-law, Siddharth Chatterjee, head of the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Kenya.
“Ban and his wife will visit his daughter’s family and come back on Feb. 16,” Ban’s close aide said. “Although this is a personal visit, Ban plans to meet and encourage U.N. staff in Kenya as a former U.N. Secretary-General.”
This is the first time Ban has left the country since arriving from New York to a hero’s welcome on Jan. 12. But January was a rough month for Ban after he announced his intention to run for president. He suddenly withdrew from the race on Feb. 1.
Ban, 73, who served in 2004-06 as Korean foreign minister, said he will refrain from any form of political activity in Korea and rather share his experience in the U.N. with the world.