Ban Ki-moon
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This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses. |
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| In office 1 January 2007 – |
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| Preceded by | Kofi Annan |
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| Born | 13 June 1944 Eumseong, Korea |
| Spouse | Yoo Soon-taek |
| Korean name | |
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| Hangul: | 반기문 |
| Hanja: | 潘基文 |
| Revised Romanization: | Ban Gi-mun |
| McCune-Reischauer: | Pan Kimun |
Ban Ki-moon (IPA pronunciation: [pɑn gi mun]; born 13 June 1944 in Eumseong, Korea) was the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Korea (South Korea) from January 2004 to 1 November 2006. On 13 October 2006, Ban became the United Nations Secretary-General-elect when he was elected by the United Nations General Assembly, and will succeed current Secretary-General Kofi Annan on 1 January 2007.[1]
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[edit] Education
Ban received his bachelor's degree in International Relations from Seoul National University in 1970 and earned a Master of Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in 1985.
[edit] Personal
Ban is married and has a son and two daughters.[2] In addition to his native Korean, Ban is fluent in English and French.
As a high school student in the early 1960s, Ban met U.S. President John F. Kennedy in Washington, D.C. after winning an English language competition organized by the American Red Cross. He has said that it was after this meeting that he resolved to become a diplomat.
[edit] Career
Ban joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in May 1970 and worked his way up during the years of the Yusin Constitution.
His first overseas posting was to New Delhi, after which he worked in the United Nations Division at the foreign ministry's headquarters. At the time of Park Chung Hee's assassination, Ban had climbed to the position of First Secretary at South Korea's Permanent Observer Mission to the UN in New York City (South Korea only became a full UN member state on 17 September 1991). He subsequently assumed the post of Director of the United Nations Division. He has been posted twice to the Republic of Korea (ROK) Embassy in Washington, D.C. Between these two assignments he served as Director-General for American Affairs in 1990–1992. He was promoted to the position of Deputy Minister for Policy Planning and International Organizations in 1995. He was then appointed National Security Advisor to the President in 1996, and assumed the office of Vice Minister in 2000. His most recent post was as Foreign Policy Advisor to the President Noh Moo-hyun.
While serving as Ambassador to Austria, Ban was elected as Chairman of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO PrepCom) in 1999. During the ROK's Presidency of the 56th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (GA) in 2001, he worked as Chef de Cabinet of the President of the GA.
Ban has been actively involved in issues relating to inter-Korean relationships. In 1992, he served as Vice Chairman of the South-North Joint Nuclear Control Commission, following the adoption by South and North Korea of the Joint Declaration of the Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. In September 2005, as Foreign Minister, he played a leading role in the diplomatic efforts to adopt the Joint Statement on resolving the North Korean nuclear issue at the Fourth Round of the Six-Party Talks held in Beijing.
[edit] UN Secretary-General candidacy
In February 2006, Ban declared his candidacy to replace Kofi Annan as UN Secretary-General at the end of 2006. It is the first time a South Korean has run in the election for Secretary-General.[3]
Ban topped each of the four straw polls conducted by the UN Security Council on 24 July,[4] 14 September,[5] 28 September[6] and 2 October. [7]
In the 2 October informal poll, Ban received fourteen favorable votes and one "no opinion" from the fifteen members of the Security Council; the Japanese delegation the only nation not in full agreement. More importantly, Ban was the only one to escape a veto, while each of the five other candidates received at least one "no" vote from the five permanent members of the council — People's Republic of China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.[8] After the vote, Shashi Tharoor, who finished second, withdrew his candidacy[9] and China's Permanent Representative to the UN told reporters that "it is quite clear from today's straw poll that Minister Ban Ki-moon is the candidate that the Security Council will recommend to the General Assembly."[10]
On 9 October, the Security Council formally chose Ban as its nominee. On 13 October, the 192-member General Assembly adopted a resolution, by acclamation, appointing Ban as Secretary-General.
[edit] Awards
Ban has twice been awarded the Order of Service Merit in 1975 and 1986 by the Government of the Republic of Korea. For his accomplishments as an envoy, he received the Grand Decoration of Honour from the Republic of Austria in 2001. A year later, the government of Brazil bestowed the Grand Cross of Rio Branco upon him.
In September 2005, the Korea Society in New York honoured him with the James A. Van Fleet Award for his contributions to US-ROK friendship.[11]
[edit] References
- ^ Ban named next U.N. secretary-general. AP. Retrieved on 2006-10-13.
- ^ Biography of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Republic of Korea - Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Retrieved on 2006-09-29.
- ^ Song-wu, Park. "Minister Ban to Run for Top UN Job", The Korea Times, 2006-02-14. Retrieved on 2006-09-28.
- ^ Ban takes 1st Straw Poll. UNSG.org (2006-07-24). Retrieved on 2006-09-28.
- ^ Ban firms up lead in second Straw Poll. UNSG.org (2006-09-14). Retrieved on 2006-09-28.
- ^ Ban slips but holds, Vike Freiberga pushes into third. UNSG.org (2006-09-28). Retrieved on 2006-09-28.
- ^ Ban Ki-moon wins. UNSG.org (2006-10-02). Retrieved on 2006-10-02.
- ^ Ban vows to reform U.N. if given top job. [1] (2006-10-03). Retrieved on 2006-10-09.
- ^ Shashi Tharoor pulls out of UN race. NDTV.com (2006-10-02). Retrieved on 2006-10-02.
- ^ http://webcast.un.org/ramgen/sc/so061002pm3.rm
- ^ "Samsung Chairman Lee Receives Van Fleet Award", KBS World, 2006-09-20. Retrieved on 2006-09-28.
[edit] External links
- news.bbc.co.uk – Profile: Ban Ki-moon
- Dennis Wholey interview with Ban Ki-moon
- Ban Ki Moon.Net
- Ban Ki-moon in the media
- New Era in the UN - A quick sketch of the pre-eminent diplomat - Ki-moon Omedia
| United Nations Secretaries-General |  |
|---|---|
| Gladwyn Jebb (acting) | Trygve Lie | Dag Hammarskjöld | U Thant | Kurt Waldheim | Javier Pérez de Cuéllar | Boutros Boutros-Ghali | Kofi Annan | Ban Ki-moon (Effective January 1, 2007) |
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Ban Ki-moon |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | 반기문 (Hangul); 潘基文 (Hanja) |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Republic of Korean diplomat |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 13, 1944 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | |
| DATE OF DEATH | living |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
| Preceded by: Kofi Annan |
United Nations Secretary-General 2007- |
Succeeded by: Incumbent |
