South Korea is excited about the possibility of Ban Ki-moon running for president.

It is as obvious that people in Eumseong County, North Chungcheong Province, South Korea like Ban Ki-moon as it is that Koreans like Kimchi.

Statue of United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at the entrance to Eumseong district. Photo: Washington Post.

However, the Washington Post said that description does not fully reflect the warmth of the people's feelings here.

As soon as you arrive at this quiet area south of Seoul by train, you'll see a large banner reading: "Eumseong is the hometown of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon."

For those arriving by car, there are two options when they arrive. Turn right at the statue of Ban with his briefcase bearing the words “United Nations.” Drive to Ban Ki-moon Street and pass Ban Ki-moon Plaza into the downtown area, where there is a giant billboard with a smiling Ban. There is also a banner announcing the opening of the Ban Ki-moon Cup tae-kwon-do tournament.

If you don't turn right and continue straight, you will reach the place where Mr. Ban Ki-moon was born, with a house that has been rebuilt to look like Mr. Ban's first house. A room in the house has a plaque that reads: "The room where Mr. Ban Ki-moon was born." There is also a museum that tells the story of Mr. Ban's life.

The Ban Ki-moon fever may be bringing even greater benefits to the locality, as there are growing rumors that the diplomat will run for the South Korean presidency.

To open the possibility of running for office

Mr Ban’s term as UN secretary-general ends in December, while South Korea’s presidential election is due a year later. South Korea’s political situation is in turmoil, with no clear conservative successor to President Park Geun-hye and the opposition locked in internal infighting.

Mr. Ban meets Ms. Park at most multilateral meetings they attend together, and after a lengthy meeting in New York this year, many observers in South Korea speculated that the two were discussing Mr. Ban's presidential bid.

Mr. Ban, 72, fueled the rumors when, during a six-day trip to South Korea in May, he said he would decide what to do after his term at the United Nations ends.

"When I return on January 1 next year, I will be just an ordinary Korean citizen. That will be the time for me to consider and decide what I need to do as a Korean citizen," Mr. Ban said, in complete contrast to his previous silence whenever asked about this topic.

Political analysts in Seoul say that if Mr. Ban intends to run for the presidency, he will almost certainly win, given his prestige and reputation.

People who know Mr Ban say the UN secretary-general will make decisions not out of personal ambition, but out of a sense of duty.

“He is thinking about it very seriously,” said Kim Sook, South Korea’s ambassador to the United Nations until 2013, who remains close to Mr Ban. “He has a deep sense of responsibility and duty to his people and his country. Many people are asking him to contribute to the country.”

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Photo: medafricatimes.

Yet Mr. Ban is primarily a diplomat, not a politician, and has no fiery personality. He was elected to the top job at the United Nations in no small part because he said and did things that were less objectionable, and reviews of his tenure at the world’s most powerful body have been less glowing.

'Hero'

But in Eumseong, Mr. Ban is a hero.

"He was amazing. He was a foreign minister and then did great things at the United Nations," said Yang Man-hee, deputy station manager in Eumseong County. "People in Eumseong are very proud of him."

Since his speech in May, the number of visitors to Mr. Ban’s birthplace and museum has doubled to about 500 people a day on weekends, said Woo Chun-ja, the museum’s manager.

Visitors can take photos in the chair where Ban sat on his last trip home, read about the Ban Ki-moon English speech contest and the Ban Ki-moon marathon, or even leave a message on a wall covered with sticky notes that read: "I love you, Ban Ki-moon."

“A lot of people want him to run,” Woo said. “There’s not much to see in Eumseong, but I think a lot of people want to see where the world leader was born.”

The complex was built to encourage young people to follow Ban’s example, said Lee Pil-yong, the mayor of Eumseong. Lee’s business card reads “hometown of Ban Ki-moon.” A photo of the two of them together hangs in Lee’s office. “We want to help kids dream big.”

Asked about the personality cult aspect, Mr. Lee said it was completely different from North Korea. "When we built this place, there was no discussion about him becoming president. There was no political intention here."

An adviser to Mr Ban said the UN secretary-general was “not comfortable” with such honours, but he could say nothing as it was a decision for local authorities.

Park Kyung-ha, a tourist from Ulsan, a southern city in South Korea, who came to Eumseong with her family, questioned whether Mr Ban should retire. "I'm worried about his health because of his age, but I believe he will be a great president," she said.

According to VNE