Seoul, Oct 18: A top aide for South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun today offered to resign from his post, succumbing to calls for the replacement of presidential staff over the country's political turmoil. Lee Kwang-Jae, Secretary for Information and Policy Monitoring, has been known as the most prominent figure among a handful of Roh's confidantes in the Presidential Blue House.
"I don't want to be a burden on the President. I have decided to opt for a graceful departure," Lee said in a press statement. Roh has come under fire for relying too heavily on an inner circle of young assistants, many of them former pro-democracy activists who have little experience in administration.
Pressure has been mounting for the resignation of Roh's aides and the cabinet of government ministers over the recent political crisis triggered by a chain of graft scandals. Faced with persistent allegations of corruption implicating his aides and associates, Roh has said he would submit himself to a national referendum to ask whether people still trusted him as their leader. Bureau Report