[Interview] Next U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister and future Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon is hard to spot in Seoul these days. After returning from an October 28 visit to China, he promptly set off once more on October 31, this time to Russia, France, and other European nations. His path home will cut through Japan on November 5, allowing him to return just in time for the Korea-Africa Forum summit meeting set to begin on Novemver 7, at which five African leaders will be present. On November 15, Ban will proceed to the UN, where he will commence with personnel selection. He will have neither time to catch his breath nor adjust to jet lag, and it is he who knows best of all that he must remain attentive to the media at all times. Yet, now that he has adopted a policy of equal attention to the media, a 10-minute slot is all that is allotted to each media outlet. On this, his office of public relations sought the understanding of U.S. and foreign news organizations.

In light of this, the discussion he held with Envoy for International Security and professor at Yonsei University Moon Chung-in was a break from the norm, stretching on as it did for 50 minutes. Yet even so, the time was all too short. Ambassador Moon did not waste a second, firing off question after question, inquiring into Ban’s personal 10-year vision and asking questions regarding the proper role of the UN in defusing the problems facing the Korean peninsula, including the North Korean nuclear crisis.

Question: As you have begun paying visits to the permanent members of the UN Security Council, it would seem that you have already started to assume the mantle of the UN Secretary-General. What words did you exchange with President Bush?

Answer: The original plan was to go to Washington, meet with Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs Steven Hadley, and meet shortly with President Bush, if time permitted. In the end, I talked with President Bush for more than 20 minutes. As soon as he took his seat, President Bush congratulated me, calling me "Mr. Landslide," and then discussed with me the issues of UN reform and the North Korean nuclear program. He requested that I drive forth with UN reforms, assuring me that the U.S. would actively lend its support. He showed much concern, faced with the predicament of having held a summit conference with President Roh only shortly before, and with CNN suggesting that North Korea was preparing for a second nuclear test. President Bush declared he would peacefully resolve the North Korean nuclear crisis as he had agreed to with President Roh, and stated that he had shortly before held a good phone conversation with President Roh and had also reached an agreement with the Chinese head of state.

Q: Traditionally, the UN Secretary-General and the U.S. have often been at odds. Do you believe you will be able to smoothly resolve this [potential] problem?

A: There’s no one who knows better [than I] regarding relations between the U.S. and the work of the UN. At the end of the day, the U.S. is the one that pays the largest burden of UN dues, and being the sole superpower, is the UN’s most important member. It is difficult for the UN to function properly without the U.S.’s proactive participation and help. At the same time, when seen from the U.S. point of view, the UN is the best means of implementation and the best mouthpiece with which to pursue U.S. ideals together with the world, whether in relation to the expansion of democracy, common global prosperity, or the extension of human rights. The UN needs the U.S., and the U.S. needs the UN.

Q: You met President Hu Jintao on your visit to China. I think that your nomination was an exceptional case of the U.S. and China agreeing to support a single candidate.

A: President Hu also stated that the role of a newly appointed Secretary-General is very important, and that China would be of active assistance. He had a good discussion with President Roh in regards to the North Korean nuclear issue during the October 13 summit conference, saying that China would take even more proactive efforts toward its resolution. He spoke of concretely improving the Chinese-Korean cooperative relationship to solve the issue peacefully. [President Roh] met with Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhao Xing and State Councilor Tang Jia Xuan for a considerable length of time.

Q: I heard that Minister Li took a very active position of support [in favor of your nomination to the position of UN Secretary-General].

A: Though China could not make public its support, they actively helped out behind the scenes.

Q: Starting from October 31, you will visit France and Russia. There is the possibility that French President Jacques Chirac will request a South Korean deployment in Lebanon. How would you respond?

A: At present, we have deployed an investigative team and are still discussing the Lebanon deployment issue. As a matter of fact, I think that Korea must participate actively in UN peacekeeping operations. The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon is of a different nature than the deployment in Iraq. Currently, there are but 31 Koreans among the 92,000 UN peacekeepers stationed in 16 separate regions. As the nation chosen to supply the UN Secretary General, I think that [South Korea’s] weak level of contribution and willpower are unbefitting.

Q: Perhaps what is necessary is the conception of [our country as being] a nation that makes international contributions. What do you see as being necessary for South Korea to raise its status?

A: Our people must broaden their perspective on international issues. Next, Korea must increase its level of Overseas Development Assistance (ODA). Currently, we are giving only 0.06 percent of the Gross National Income (GNI), so it is difficult for [us] to raise our voice abroad. We are not a third world country, but yet we rank among the [lowest contributors] of the OECD nations. The UN’s goal is to increase support from member nations to 0.7 percent of the GNI by 2015, but we have set 0.25 percent as our goal for that year and 0.3 percent for 2030. Last year, the OECD’s ODA average was 0.33 percent of the GNI, so how in the world can we set a [mere] goal of 0.3 percent for 2030?

Q: It is unfortunate that the North Korean nuclear situation has worsened, despite your will to resolve it as the Foreign Minister. The North Korean nuclear issue is not one limited to the Korean Peninsula or North Korea, but rather is a global issue and one of importance to the UN. Are you stressing this resolution of this issue as Secretary-General only because you could not resolve it as Foreign Minister?

A: Secretary-General Kofi Annan also carried a large interest in [resolving] the North Korean issue and appointed a special envoy to North Korea, but he could not set foot in the country during his 10-year tenure. As for Special Envoy to North Korea Maurice Strong, he was implicated in an unsavory affair and resigned midway through his term. I will appoint a politician or diplomat with the confidence of the international community, someone who has the trust of both North and South Korea to actively push the issue forward. The envoy must be one to impel the six-party talks to action when they stagnate, and must be prepared to play a direct role when necessary. I am even ready to intervene directly when intervention is called for.

Q: The UN created the North South cease-fire agreement. Although both Koreas, the U.S.’s and China’s roles are important in transforming the cease-fire regime into a peaceful order, the UN must participate to reach a legal and systematic conclusion. What plans do you have to spur the creation of a peaceful order?

A: Fundamentally, this issue must be discussed between the U.S. and North Korea, but the UN must decide how to help as it is inextricably linked with the problem, and UN specialists must come to an agreement.

Q: There was an interesting column in the Los Angeles Times recently, stating that the success or failure of your tenure will be decided within the first 100 days. What is your plan for the first 100 days?

A: Preparations for my inauguration will begin from November 1. During this time, I will present a blueprint for the first 100 days, the first year, and also for entirety of my five-year term. The top priority is making appointments. The contract for the Deputy Secretary-General and Assistant Deputy Secretary-General’s term ends February 28 of next year. Personnel choices are the be all and the end all [of an administration], and a force that raises morale and cultivates professionalism. [I will also consider the appointing of a staff] balanced between gender and region.

Q: How do you evaluate Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s 10-year term?

A:Secretary Annan took many reform initiatives. He made reform, human rights, and the Millennium Development Plan into rallying cries, and played a large role in the vitalization of the general assembly, and the UN Commission on Human Rights. I’m not in a position to speak of his errors. It is sufficient that I should understand his mistakes and not repeat them.

Q: 10 years hence, what distinctive marks will the Ban Ki-moon tenure have in comparison to the Kofi Annan tenure?

A: Well, I do not know whether I will serve [as UN Secretary General] for 5 years or for 10, but I will work to create a UN reborn as an organization that enjoys much greater international confidence. I will make the UN into a body fit to deal with the challenges and themes of the 21st century. I will make certain that the UN has a role at the center of multilateral diplomacy.

Q: Peace, the eradication of poverty, and human rights are all important themes. Are there any others that you would like to highlight?

A: Among the three pillars of the UN, including international peace and security, development and shared prosperity, as well as the extension and protection of human rights, I think that the key theme is development and shared prosperity. It is hard to expect the extension of human rights in a land where there is despair. The key to all things is development. In particular, development in Africa and the Millennium Development Plan are important topics. The role of the UN Secretary-General is to preserve the willpower and momentum of the member states while raising the priority of these kinds of issues. It is here that Korea, too, must step forward as well.

Q: There were many who helped you in the process of becoming Secretary-General. Of course, thanks must go to the [Korean] people as well, but to whom are you most grateful?

A: First of all, if President Roh Moo-hyun had not nominated me as a candidate I would not have been eligible. President Roh gave me his confidence and assurance. Truthfully speaking, I had never met President Roh until after I had received a letter of appointment to become a foreign policy aide. Afterwards, I became a Minister. The process of nomination to become a candidate is the most important part. The president carried certitude and confidence in campaigning for me at every opportunity while meeting with foreign heads of state. The media also helped a great deal. There was no partisanship. Among all of the Secretary General candidates, I was the only one who was not wrapped up in political problems on the homefront.

Q: Seeing governing and opposition parties, left and right come together to promote your candidacy, I felt that if we could only join our energies, we could resolve any problem, including the North Korean nuclear issue.

A: If the national consensus could point in the same direction, then many problems, including those surrounding the North Korean nuclear program and North-South relations, would improve. Honestly, international society has not yet remembered the name of Ban Ki-moon. That said, they all know that the UN Secretary General is a Korean. Over the last two months, the Korean brand image has been on the rise. I will strive to do better.

This interview was translated by Daniel Rakove