UN chief fuels speculations on alleged South Korean presidential bid

TOKYO. KAZINFORM - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon asked journalists not to speculate on his alleged intention to run for president of South Korea, refusing to confirm the reports, local media reported Monday.

Last week, media outlets reported that the former South Korean foreign minister planned to run for December 2017 presidential elections in his homeland after his term as the UN head ends in December of this year.

"The press has written many speculative stories about my future actions, but only I know what I plan to do <...> The purpose of my visit [to South Korea] was unrelated to any personal purpose or political move," Ban said at a press conference after the UN event for non-governmental organizations in Gyeongju, as quoted by the Yonhap news agency.

The UN secretary-general added that he planned to concentrate on his current duties at the United Nations in the coming seven months.

Source: Sputniknews.com