The U.S. daily The Washington Times defended U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as a "backroom reformer" on Tuesday, which marked the halfway mark of his five-year term.

In an editorial titled "U.N. Chief, the quiet man," the conservative daily denounced criticisms on Mr. Ban by some media.

The Washington Times noted that although Foreign Policy magazine has called him "the world's most dangerous Korean,” the title is more appropriately bestowed upon North Korea’s dictator, Kim Jong-il. The editorial described Ban as a self-effacing, hard-working veteran.

The Washington Times praised Ban for his pursuit of concrete actions over press reports, calling him a “backroom reformer.”

In his first days as head of the U.N., Ban unveiled his financial disclosure forms in the hope to lead by example. After over two years of prodding, today most senior U.N. officials have followed suit.