UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon recently wrote a personal letter to former Prime Minister Kim Jong-pil that was the clearest expression yet of his thinly veiled presidential ambitions.

Kim's aides on Thursday said the letter came in a diplomatic pouch and read in part, "I'll see you next January. I would appreciate it very much if you could continue to give me guidance in the future as before."

Enclosed were two photos taken with Kim when Ban visited his house in Seoul in May.

A Foreign Ministry official denied that much can be read into the letter. "Ban sent letters of thanks to the people he met during his last visit here, including organizers of events he attended and staff of the hotel he stayed at," the official said.

But many observers believe Ban is hell-bent on running for the presidency next year once his term as UN secretary-general ends this December.

Ban was foreign minister under progressive President Roh Moo-hyun but is expected to run on the conservative Saenuri ticket. Will-he-won't-he speculation has been keeping the press busy since last year.

