Graft, gaffes cloud Ban’s big bid
It has been an inauspicious return to crisisplagued South Korea for former UN chief Ban Kimoon, once the odds-on favourite to be the next President, as he is ensnared in a family corruption scandal and struggles with a sceptical press.
Ban, 72, has been unable to capitalise on his muchanticipated homecoming after a decade as secretary-general of the United Nations in New York. Since his return on January 12, he has cut a sometimes-irritable figure in public and been pilloried for a series of perceived PR gaffes — all without announcing any intention to run for President.
Now, the US has asked South Korea to arrest his brother, Ban Ki-sang, on charges that he engaged in a bribery scheme to carry out the sale of a Vietnamese building complex.
On his arrival in Seoul, Ban took the airport express train, instead of a limo, but didn’t know how to buy a ticket. He was pictured trying to insert two 10,000 won bills into the machine at the same time for a 7,500 won ticket.
“Couldn’t you have treated it as something cute from a person who’d been in New York for a long time?” he protested at a meeting in Daegu. “I really wish they wouldn’t act with malice.”
Two days later, Ban visited a care home where he fed porridge to an old woman. He was criticised for wearing a bib when the old woman was not — and for feeding someone lying flat on their back.
Ban himself admitted on Monday to some “clumsy moments” since his return.
“I was impatient and had passion for wanting to go and meet the people as soon as I could, so there were little mistakes,” he said. “I’ll take it as a tough lesson.”
However, a Realmeter poll released on Monday showed Ban’s support slipping from 22.2 per cent last week to 19.8 per cent.