Ban Ki-Moon

As a Korean, do you feel a special responsibility to work on the North Korea issue?
I was deeply involved in the South-North relationship in my previous capacity as foreign minister and national-security adviser to the president. As secretary-general, I was very much encouraged when the six parties agreed on a joint statement for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. I hope this will lead eventually toward unification.

There's been some criticism that you rely on a Korean network here in the U.N.
That is very unfair. There are not many Koreans, a total of less than 60, I think, in the U.N. system. I have brought in only two or three, including one secretary. This kind of unfounded criticism may come from jealousy. This is an intergovernmental body, and we respect all differences of cultures and traditions. Those who make this criticism should also try to understand Asian values and cultures.

Speaking of Asian values, many people are concerned that China is an obstacle on Darfur and other issues.
That is an unnecessary concern. On Darfur, they have been playing a constructive role, and I have been in constant discussions with them. They were the first to dispatch engineering teams to Darfur, and they have appointed a special envoy.

What surprises have you found sitting behind your new desk?
What humbles me are the very high expectations for the whole of the United Nations and particularly for the secretary-general. There are so many challenges around the world—hunger, extreme poverty, diseases, all sorts of regional conflicts. Now we are faced with global warming, the defining issue of our era. The United Nations is so limited in terms of resources, and by all these complex systems that have accumulated over six decades. Simplifying, rationalizing, deregulating them will be a serious challenge. It's much more than I had expected.

© 2007