South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan has submitted his resignation in response to accusations of nepotism for allowing his ministry to give his daughter a mid-level job.
Officials say President Lee Myung-bak received Yu's resignation offer Saturday. Yu made a public apology Friday for the appearance of impropriety in the Foreign Ministry's decision to hire his 35-year-old daughter, Yu Hyun-sun, as a trade expert.
Yu said his daughter withdrew her acceptance of the job after it triggered a public outcry. But he denied that Hyun-sun received special treatment. President Lee has ordered an investigation into the hiring process that led to her offer.
Yu's resignation is one of several political setbacks for Mr. Lee in recent days. Three of the president's Cabinet nominees including the prime minister-designate withdrew their names from consideration Sunday under accusations of unethical behavior.
Yu has served as South Korean foreign minister since Mr. Lee came to power in 2008.
Yu's daughter, Yu Hyun-sun, previously worked at the Foreign Ministry from 2006 to 2009, when she left to prepare for marriage. Earlier this year, she and other candidates applied for a trade expert job at the ministry, but all the applicants were turned down.
The Foreign Ministry later reopened the position with revised requirements and selected Yu Hyun-sun after she passed an interview and an English proficiency test.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
