UN
Withholds Ban
Ki-Moon Korean
Campaign
Speech, How
Much Charged
By Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
October
18 --
What has Ban
Ki-moon turned
the UN into,
as he seeks to
run for
President of
South Korea?
On October 17,
Inner City
Press asked
Ban's outgoing
spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric why
his office had
not made
available
Ban's speech
in Washington
DC on October
14 to the
Council of
Korean-Americans
(in essence, a
Ban Ki-moon
campaign
event) but had
widely emailed
out Ban's
speech the
same day while
getting
another
honorary
degree in
Maryland.
Dujarric
replied, with
characteristic
defensiveness,
that Ban's
Friday evening
speech at the
Ronald Reagan
International
Trade Center
in DC was
private. Vine
video
here.
(Somehow, Ban
racking up
another
honorary
degree was not
private).
Inner City
Press: You'd
said that Ban
Ki-moon's
speech on
Friday in
Washington to
the Council of
Korean-Americans
at the Ronald
Reagan
International
Trade Center
was somehow a
private
appearance,
but I've seen
pictures of
it. He
was in a
tuxedo with a
big screen
behind him,
and the media
was
present.
So, I'm left…
I guess what I
wonder is,
what do you
mean by
"private"?
Was it open
only to some
media?
What… was…
Spokesman:
You'd have to
ask the
organizers.
Inner City
Press:
But, if he
spent… the
money question
is this… if it
was a private…
Spokesman:
He was in
Washington for
a UN-related
event, and he
participated
in a… in this
event
organized by
this
foundation,
which was
considered a
private event.
ICP
Question:
Was money
charged to
attend it?
Spokesman:
You'd have to
ask the
organizers.
ICP
Question:
Would that be
against UN
rules?
Spokesman:
The
Secretary-General
and others
appear
sometimes in
dinners where
money is
charged.
We'll have
more on this.
The Council of
Korean-American's
speech was
covered with
headlines like
“Ban Ki-moon
defends
leadership to
counter
Western
media’s
criticism.”
Ban's defense,
it seems, is
merely
“personal” -
in a parallel
fictitious
universe like
Wonder Woman.
Watch this
site.
On October 77,
Inner City
Press asked
Ban's deputy
spokesman
Farhan Haq, UN transcript
here
Inner City
Press: there's
been a number
of media
outlets in
South Korea
that have
quoted former
Prime Minister
Kim Jong-pil,
who has met
with Ban
Ki-moon and is
viewed as a
supporter and
ally. He
has been
quoted on the
record saying
Ban Ki-moon
has made up
his mind and
is running for
president.
So I wanted to
know, when's
the last time
the
Secretary-General
spoke with Mr.
Kim
Jong-pil?
Because it
becomes
important to
know to assess
the
credibility of
his statement
of Mr. Ban's
intentions.
Deputy
Spokesman:
On this, as we
have made very
clear, the
Secretary-General
has spoken, he
is going to
work as
Secretary-General
and continue
to concentrate
his energies
on being
Secretary-General
of the United
Nations until
the end of his
mandate.
He'll make his
decision after
that.
Question:
Right.
So he's
wrong.
So his ally is
not…
Deputy
Spokesman:
That is what
the
Secretary-General
has
said.
Have a good
weekend,
everyone.
On October 3
Inner City
Press asked
Haq about a
political
party's offer
to Ban, UN
transcript
here:
Inner City
Press: there
was a proposal
today, or a
law proposed
and announced
by the Saenuri
Party in South
Korea, which
would provide,
quote,
privileges or
benefits to
the
Secretary-General
when he leaves
here, which
would include
a bodyguard,
office,
security,
secretary.
And so some
have raised…
is there any
provision for
this? Is
this
consistent
with UN ethics
rules in terms
of a country
offering these
things to a
sitting UN
official?
Deputy
Spokesman:
Well,
regarding
that, you'd
have to ask
the officials
in South Korea
what their
arrangements
are.
This is…
obviously, the
Secretary-General
doesn't accept
these favours
in his time as
Secretary-General.
I wouldn't
have any
comment on his
post-Secretary-General
career.
On
September 30,
a concert in
the UN pitched
as only about
South Korea's
25th
anniversary at
a UN member
was converted
into an event
for Ban
Ki-moon's
legacy.
Oh Joon, who
has spoken
about Ban and
South Korea's
presidency,
was there, as
was Ban's male
personal
assistant and
his spouse
(but not Ms
Eun Ha Kim.)
UN officials
Adlerstein and
Dieng,
Ombudsman and
successor
candidate
Helen Clark
were there.
Some
Ambassadors
showed up at
the top and
then left;
Kazakhstan, we
note, stuck it
out.
The music was
great - but,
it was
disclosed,
paid for by
investment
bank G C
Andersen. Ban
cited Han
Seung-soo, who
he's let be a
UN official
while on the
boards of
directors of
Doosan and
Standard
Chartered
Bank. (Inner
City Press
asked the new
President of
the General
Asssembly
about this on
September 30,
here).
Ban's
nepotism has
come to the
fore, but his
polling is up,
and he'd
headed on the
road. We will
cover it,
watch this
site.
, 
