Ban
Ki-moon Gave
“Private”
Speech in DC
For Which
$100,000
Sponsorships
Were Sought,
Council of
Korean
Americans, ICP
Asks
By Matthew
Russell Lee,
Exclusive
UNITED
NATIONS,
October
20 --
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
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. On
October 18
when Inner
City Press
followed up
and asked how
much was
charged or
sought to hear
Ban, Dujarric
said to ask
the
organizers.
Well,
the Council of
Korean
Americans
began
promoting
Ban's
attendance, as
UN Secretary
General, as
early as
August - and
sought
$100,000
“platinum”
sponsorships.
Here's
a tweet from
September.
Is this
ethical?
Separately,
did Ban get
any UN Ethics
Office opinion
on this? Inner
City Press
asked these
questions and
more on
October 20;
Dujarric said
to... ask the
Ethics Office.
Isn't he the
UN spokesman?
He separately
refused to say
how much the
outside
counsel Ban's
UN has hired
in connection
with the Ng
Lap Seng UN
bribery case
(in which
Ban's
Secretariat
changed a
General
Assembly
document to
insert the
name of Ng Lap
Seng's
company) is
paid, and from
which budget
line or slush
fund. The
lawyer's firm
does not have
an active
contract in
the UN
Procurement
database. Earlier
in the day
the UN's own
Special
Rapporteur
David Kaye
published his
report,
which included
his and
Rapporteur
Michel Forst's
letter
asking Gallach
why she
evicted
Inner City
Press, and her
belated
response
that Inner
City Press has
“trespassed”
in the UN
Press Briefing
Room.
But a UN
Secretary
General
allowing his
image and the
UN flag to be
used to raise
$100,000
sponsorships -
is it ethical?
Inner City
Press asked
Dujarric,
wouldn't it be
fair at least
to infer Ban
supports the
views of the
group he let
charge
$100,000 for
him / the UN?
Dujarric said
no: but why?
We'll have
more on the
group's views,
including on
matter on the
agenda of the
UN Security
Council. Watch
this site.
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.
, 
