South Korea PM tenders resignation over bribery scandal

South Korean Prime Minister Lee Wan-Koo was left in political limbo on Tuesday after offering to resign over a scandal involving bribery allegations against senior members of President Park Geun-Hye’s administration. Lee, who has only been in the job for two months, tendered his resignation late Monday after the main opposition party said it would seek his impeachment. Lee’s office said he had reported to work Tuesday morning. The prime minister is a largely symbolic post in South Korea, where power is concentrated in the executive. But under Park, it has proved to be a job that is both difficult to secure and equally tough to hold on to.

I find it regrettable. I also feel sympathy for the agony of the prime minister.

South Korean President Park Geun-Hye

The president’s first ever nominee withdrew after allegations about his past, and her initial prime minister was Chung Hong-Won, who then resigned after the April 2014 Sewol ferry disaster. Two successive Park nominees to replace Chung withdrew their candidacies - again because of allegations of past wrongdoing - and the job finally went to Lee, who now looks almost certain to step down. The current scandal was triggered by the suicide earlier this month of Sung Wan-Jong, the former head of a bankrupt construction company.

Asia-Pacific South Korea