Ban Ki-moon rules out running for president of South Korea.

Reuters Former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, once considered the frontrunner to become the next president of South Korea, ruled out running for the position on Wednesday, saying he was "disappointed with the selfish ways" of some politicians and complaining about "fake news."

After meeting with conservative party leaders, Ban told reporters in Parliament that he had been subjected to "malicious defamation akin to reputation destruction" in the media, and that he had abandoned his "patriotic" plan to lead political change.

"With all sorts of fake news, my intention for political change went unnoticed, and all that remains are deep scars for my family and me, and for the honor of the UN, where I spent the last 10 years," he said.

South Korea has been mired in a political crisis for months due to a corruption scandal that led to the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye by Parliament. If the impeachment is upheld by the Constitutional Court, an election will be held two months later. A verdict is expected by the end of this month.

Ban, 72, returned to his homeland on January 12. He failed to capitalize on his widely anticipated return, appearing irritable in public on several occasions and hampered by a series of alleged public relations gaffes and a scandal involving family members.

The media focused on a series of mishaps, for example when he took an express train at the airport instead of a limousine on his return to the country, without knowing how to buy a ticket.

Even without announcing his intention to run, his approval rating in opinion polls has fallen to second place after reaching almost 30 percent last year.