hankyoreh

A special room in the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in Manhattan, New York, is where incoming U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will live until large-scale refurbishing work on his official residence is completed. The Hankyoreh went to the hotel in late December to talk with the man who on January 1 became the eighth secretary-general of the U.N.

Throughout the interview, Ban’s focus never wavered from pending issues confronting the U.N., such as genocide in Darfur and Sudan, and instability in Lebanon in the wake of Israel’s invasion last year. "My first overseas visit after taking office will be either Lebanon or Darfur," he said.

Ban stressed that he would try to resove the conflict between Israel and Palestine, which is believed to be a core issue in solving problems in the Middle East, saying that "if the issues with the conflicts between Israel and Palestine go well, [resolutions of] other issues in the Middle East, including Lebanon, Iran, Iraq, and Syria, are likely to follow suit. I will go meet with the concerned parties as soon as possible."

Ban also emphasized the importance of the role of the six-party talks in resolving North Korea’s nuclear issue.

"North Korea’s nuclear matter is one of the most important problems. But after coming here, I have realized that the issue is being managed under the framework of the six-party talks." He said there is less of a sense of urgency on the matter "as compared to Iran’s nuclear program and Darfur," he said. "This does not mean that I would pay less attention to the North Korean matter, but that I also have to consider other issues as the secretary-general of the organization."

Ban spent the past 37 years as a career diplomat, dealing with foreign affairs and security issues, but he says that he still feels like he has lived in an environment where his perspective was "limited." "In South Korea, priority should be paid on diplomacy," he said, "with four neighboring countries - including the U.S." He attributed this to the fact that "security on the Korean peninsula is more important than anything else. But now, I have to extend my attention to other parts of the world because I am not being an ideal diplomat if I think only of the North Korean issue."

Asked how he wanted to be remembered as the top official of the U.N., Ban responded that he wanted to be recalled as a secretary-general who succeeded in restoring confidence in the global organization. "My dream is to become a secretary-general who completely restores the U.N. through reform."

Ban is taking the helm of the U.N. at a time when there is a growing demand for trust-building in the organization. He considers the task as one of his most important missions during his five-year term. "I want to be remembered as a secretary-general who committed himself to rebuilding trust in the organization throughout the world, and to listening to the opinions of member countries more than any of my predecessors."

Ban reiterated that he will execute what he has promised and lead others by example while he occupies the post. He pledged that he will start his reform on the 38th floor, headquarters of the secretary-general.

"When I said to U.N. staff members that there is no sanctuary from the terms of reform, and no exception for me, either, they looked very strained," Ban said. He said he would make open to the public a list of all of his property and assets in order to set an example for U.N. reform. He said this openness, very common for those working in government in Korea, is new to the U.N., which means to him that reform efforts at the U.N. remain at nascent levels, as compared with South Korea, where the government is making a strong drive in reforming the public sector. "Frankly speaking, I am confident that I will be able to reform the U.N. There is nowhere that holds zero resistance to reform. While I will first push for reform at the upper levels, I will also hold a lot of union-level talks."

On the issue of appointing personel, which is supposed to be completed by the end of February, he stressed his being a team player. "I’m not a star player," Ban said, adding that he will use other team players for important assignments. "My style of consensus-building leadership, which came as a disadvantage during the election process, seems to have planted the impression that I am soft outside but strong inside."

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]