Ban Ki-moon became the eighth UN General Secretary in 2006. Before then, he was a diplomat in South Korea, where he served as Foreign Minister. His diplomatic service started after graduating from college. His first post was at his nation’s embassy in India. He quickly earned a reputation for his clever diplomatic skills.

 

Ban was born in a small farming village and grew up in the town of Chungju. His destiny was to become a diplomat. He was a star pupil at school and was chosen to send a message to the United Nations. In 1962, he won an essay competition. His prize was a trip to America, where he met President John F. Kennedy. He told him his ambition was to be a diplomat.

 

Ban studied International Relations and got a Master’s degree from Harvard University. He speaks English, French, German and Japanese. He has a very disciplined work ethic and splits his schedule into five-minute blocks. The Korean press calls him the ‘slippery eel’ because of his ability to evade tricky questions.

 

In his time as UN boss, he has dealt with many difficult issues. He has very strong views on global warming and has tried repeatedly to persuade President Bush to cut the USA’s carbon emissions. He has taken an active role in Iran’s and North Korea’s nuclear intentions. Ban has also tried to negotiate a deal to solve the Darfur crisis. He seems well equipped to deal with future global problems.