When conducting the following unusual and revealing interview about the character of the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, he described himself as a "bureaucrat" and as a "modest" man who is blessed to have a wife who does not burden him with unexpected expectations. He is a man who is comfortable in the set of traditions he grew to abide by- including hard work and knowing one's own place. He is also perplexed by the cultural differences particularly when family obligations and pleasures come before work. Some call him a workaholic; but sleeping a maximum of 4 to 5 hours a day is plenty for the 64 years old Ban Ki-Moon. Fun is almost an alien word in his dictionary, yet he does not fancy himself as a man on a mission. Simply, he says, when asked to describe himself, "I am a bureaucrat."

The following unusual interview with Ban Ki-Moon tried to search for the man behind the Secretary General of the UN- with some interesting success. Here are excerpts of the interview:

RD: Since you have become SG, do you remember a moment when either throughout your travel or in your time in New York when you had to hold back a tear, when you were emotionally moved? When were you most moved? Has there been any time when you were moved?

Ban: Nothing in my recent experiences has marked me the way that my visit to Gaza did. What I saw and what I heard was shocking and deeply moving. The civilian population of Gaza has paid an unacceptably heavy price. And there is a sense among the people that they have been abandoned and unprotected. The people of Gaza desperately need the ceasefire to hold. They urgently require humanitarian assistance and efforts to begin rebuilding their shattered community. But what they need most of all is for Gaza to be reunited with the West Bank and for the peace process to deliver. The absence of political solutions clearly feeds radicalism and desperation.

RD: Can you give another example?

Ban: For example look at the case of Mumbai- just unexpectedly, unacceptably; hundreds of people were killed by a terrorist act. In December last year, many of UN staff and buildings were destroyed and killed by terrorist attacks (in Algeria). That was just a great shock to me. That kind of terrorist act is just, you know, it shakes my whole emotion, as well as my whole positions. When I met those bereaved families in Algeria, I wept a lot. I couldn't continue to talk with them. You must have seen the scene where I was crying.

RD: How about a time when you got angry? When were the last time you got really angry?

Ban: There were a few moments.

RD: Like? I want to get to know you. People don't know you well—Ban Ki-Moon the Secretary General or Ban Ki-Moon the man. 

Ban: There were a few moments when I was so angry… First of all when things were not moving as I expected and as I have urged in the situation in Gaza. The humanitarian sufferings, the UN humanitarian assistance were not delivering properly…people were suffering from lack of water, electricity. They were not able to move and I was very angry and I expressed this emotion when I talked to Israeli authorities. 

Sometimes I was angry if my reform agenda was not moving as quickly as possible. There was some beauracracy within-- inherently embedded through some resistance in the agencies among the staff. Then, you know, I exploded, myself.

RD: What do you do when you get angry?

Ban: Oh, I express my anger.

RD: Do you shout?

Ban: Yes, I shout it. (Turning to his spokeswoman Michel Montas) As you have witnessed many times. 

RD: On a personal level, have you been angry recently? You know we all get angry with our children, our family, our brothers or sisters…

Ban: I don't have any such occasions when I was angry with my own family members. It's just, you know, I am disciplined. And my family members are also very disciplined and show respect for all these rules. There are some rules and some relationships you have to keep. With others, I get, of course, angry.

RD: Do you have confidant in your life? Somebody you trust most...

Ban: Personally, I think I have been leading my entire life self disciplined and tried to be strict to the principles whatever they may be--regulations or laws. But there are ethical rules-- some teachings--like Confucius teachings by which I have been influenced. There are many good lessons and teachings you have seen in the history. There are many case which you can learn from the wisdom, of the people of the past—historical figures or historical cases. And I think I have read many such books when I was young, eastern or western, I have full collections of all the works of the greatest leaders-- political or religious, or scholars. Those teachings must have influenced me and I have been trying to be very faithful to them. I am faithful to my family and to all these regulations. In such case you don't need any confidant. You can see how people are behaving--whatever good lessons, good merits--I have been trying to emulate. Whatever undesirable things, (I handle by) just being my superior officer. That doesn't mean that I have to follow.

RD: You described as self-disciplined. As such a person, you must have a plan. You don't look like you are somebody who comes up with things spontaneously. Am I right in describing you as an un-spontaneous person?

Ban: First of all, you need to be very simple and straightforward. Then I believe that the truth is always simple and there is only one truth simple and near you. You do not need to reach far to get the truth. There are many cases and many people who really try to reach far to get the truth. But in the end that is not the truth. That is what I believe. Therefore sometimes, some people may regard me as quite the simple person. I am simple. There should be no misunderstanding. I have no agenda for myself--so called hidden agenda. When I say something that is what I mean. I do not speak in an indirect way.

RD: Do you have a plan for yourself? You are a young man, so you must have a plan. You have now three more years left as Secretary General. As a self disciplined person I am sure you have a strategy for the next fifteen years of your life. Are you going to seek another term?

Ban: Now that's a good point of question, you should know me. I do not work for the future—a so-called better or higher or more important position. If an opportunity is given for me to serve better or higher positions, then I am ready to do that. But in the last forty years I have never thought that I have to get "that position," or "I have to work for that." [If you do], You are apt to make a mistake and you are apt to overreact. That is what has brought me to this position.

RD: Right but now you are in this position. People get settled nicely in positions of power. This is a nice position to be a Secretary General. 

Ban: Yes.

RD: Do you foresee yourself seeking a second term? 

Ban: That is exactly the point I was trying to explain. You must be faithfully working for common positions. If you work hard and faithfully, and earn credit and confidence from other people, then better and higher positions will come. 

RD: Lots of people think of you as a workaholic. Are you one?

Ban: I think I have been working very hard. Harder than maybe, anybody may think, but that is my style. I will continue to work that way.

RD: Do you relax? What do you do to relax? You go out once a week?

Ban: Not once a week, maybe, during summertime maybe two three times a month, when the opportunities are given. But sometimes I am not able to play…even two to three months… this is some sort of relaxation for me. Normally during weekdays or even weekends, I keep myself very busy. 

RD: Busy professionally? Always professionally? Do you have an intimate circle of friends you laugh with and you care about?

Ban: As Secretary General you have very serious limitations to make personal friends. For example, many Korean friends even in New York but I refrain from meeting them.

RD: Really?

Ban: Yes, intentionally.

RD: Why?

Ban: I have declared to all Korean community, that please don't expect that you will be able to see me as often as you were before--because my job as Secretary General is to be international. I have to mind international matters.

RD: We are talking about friends—about having a drink with a friend. Or do you?

Ban: Yes, very rarely. Very rarely I meet some Korean community people or my personal friends.

RD: Yes personal

Ban: I try to refrain as much as possible from meeting my former colleagues, from the Korean governments. Except for when they come in for official purpose or if they are in official positions because I don't want to create any wrong impressions or involvement withal these personal things.

RD: Do you think you have made a mistake where you thought, "darn, I shouldn't have done that" in the past few years?

Ban: I have been assisted and advised properly by so many able advisors. I don't claim that I have made always correct judgment but I don't think I have made any wrong judgment so far. The judgment might not have achieved something as I had expected. Or, must be in the process. But I don't recall that I have made any serious wrong judgment

RD: Do you get upset or does it bother you that people say the UN has become less important, less influential and is losing it's impact and that one of the reasons—one of the main reasons—is Ban Ki-Moon, is the office of the Secretary General.

Ban: This maybe so; or maybe not so. That's one unfair treatment that I am receiving but I accept it as a fact of life. 

RD: Why do you accept it? If you don't think that this is true why do you accept it?

Ban: This is a totally different world. You are living in a totally different world.
It's the twenty-first century. It's not like 1945, 1960, even 1980, even 1990. The role of the UN could have been almost absolute when this UN was created 60 years ago but it's not absolute. There are so many actors in this world and there are so many problems and challenges. During the Cold War or the early era of our world there were some clear plus, and the number of challenges were expected and not much. But these days with the globalization process and with the spread of extremism and terrorism, this world is completely different. Therefore, the SG of the UN is not SG of 1945, etc. 

RD: What is the UN now, what is the role of the Secretary General now?

Ban: This is clearly the universal organization. I think [it is] the only universal organization. You have many [now]--European Union, African Union--who can play regional roles. There were not such regional organizations in the past. In the past it was only the UN. Now you have so many organizations. Now you must change and understand the different paradigms. There are many actors and many global challenges. Climate change, have you ever seen climate change, or have you seen the spread of diseases of HIV/AIDS in 1950, 1960? These are multiples crisis, therefore you must understand it is very much unfair criticism against me. I think I have been working in the hardest way--than anybody in the past. Even then my time is very limited and resources are limited.

RD: But it looks like it is a great academic institution that does research. But people are looking for the UN in a different role.

Ban: Again you must change this perception; you must change your understanding. You must think that it is now thirty years later than when you started your career as as a journalist. 

RD: At that time the UN was very important. Thirty years ago every political issue was at the UN being decided.

Ban: If I claim hat this is the only organization that can exercise all of the powers that can resolve all the problems, I think I may be wrong. So I do not act that way. I am based on my judgment, firmly grounded on the earth.

RD: But that is helping people think, probably, that the UN is losing its impact. That it has become irrelevant, that it cannot deliver a Shebaa Farm, or a Ghajar—a small little village in Lebanon. People stop at that. I know you want to think of the loftier things, but people do stop at the small things Mr. Secretary General.

Ban: First of all, even though I have lofty ideas, it is not practical if you only look at these lofty ideas and goals. You must be practical and realistic. That is one firm principle and one behavioral pattern, which I do as Secretary General. I am not the person who only speaks. I am a person to get the things done. There are many such cases that we have not been able to see the resolution of this. Like the Middle East--this was not created yesterday or during my era.

RD: It has always been said that the relationship between the UN and the United States is of utmost importance. And I'm sure you attach importance to this relationship. You have been very forthcoming and open in praising Barack Obama. You have expressed confidence in him, and said you were looking forward to working with him saying "I will try to influence him, for example, to put the Middle East issue at top priority or other global issues." Now that he has announced his team, how do you think it is going to shape the UN's relationship and your personal relationship with this administration and its team?

Ban: First of all, I am hopeful that the partnership between the US and the UN and the engagement of the president Obama and his administration is one the of the UN's major goals and projections and will be more proactive and I have full expectation that we will be able to work as very good partners. [In] The team [which] he has appointed there are many people whom I have known in the past. I have found him very engaging and through my telephone calls with him he assured me he will be a partner of the UN and he expects me to be a partner of the US. So that is what I am going to do. In the past two years, with President Bush and his administration, I think I have changed significantly the relationship between the US and the UN. They have become much more favorable towards the UN and much more cooperative, and also to my leadership. That is now one thing I can tell you that I have changed it significantly through direct engagement and cooperation o many agendas. You have seen the difference in my relationship with the Congress, in my relationship with the White House and the State Department. There has not been such a harmonious relationship. I think we have been most harmonious and very cooperative with each other.

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