Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he was giving up his plans to run for president of South Korea, national media quoted him as saying Wednesday.
"I was very frustrated by parochial, selfish attitudes, and reached a conclusion that it is meaningless to move forward with them," Ban said at an impromptu news conference as quoted by the Yonhap news service.
Ban said he would "give up my pure aspiration to achieve a change in politics under my leadership."
The former UN chief`s statement comes two days after a South Korean parliamentary expert group concluded that Ban was eligible to run for president.
Ban was until recently considered one of the main potential presidential candidates for the post after lawmakers impeached President Park Geun-hye in December 2016 over a corruption scandal with her close friend and "shadow adviser" Choi Soon-sil.
Former UN Chief ban rules out South Korean presidential bid
01 February 2017
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Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon gave up his plans for South Korean presidential run, national media quoted him as saying Wednesday.
