Ban’s trip to S. Korea no political move

NEW YORK, (Yonhap) — A top aide to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Thursday that Ban’s upcoming visit to South Korea is no political move, rejecting speculation the trip might be tied to his presidential ambitions.

Ban’s office announced last week that he will visit South Korea on two occasions beginning May 25 for a series of international conferences. Earlier this week, the office added two new events to Ban’s itinerary, a visit to a folk village and a speech near Seoul, fueling speculation about his political future.

Ban’s visit to South Korea draws keen attention due to the possibility of his running for president.

On Thursday, U.N. Under Secretary-General Kim Won-soo, one of Ban’s closest confidants, rejected such speculation, saying that the speech at the Rotary International Convention was set up at the last minute due to the complexity of Ban’s schedule and the visit to the Hahoe folk village is not unusual as the U.N. chief often makes visits to cultural sites.

Kim spoke in a meeting with South Korean correspondents.

Ban’s visit, which will be his first in about a year, comes after South Korea’s ruling Saenuri Party suffered a crushing defeat in last month’s parliamentary elections amid speculation it could face a similar fate in next year’s presidential election.

Ban, whose second five-year term as U.N. chief ends late this year, has long been talked about as a potential candidate for next year’s election. But he has refused to discuss such a possibility, saying he would focus on his duties as U.N. chief.

Still, opinion polls have consistently shown that he is one of the favorites.

Political analysts in South Korea say that the beleaguered ruling party could try to scout Ban as its presidential candidate.