Two nominees for South Korean President Lee Myung-bak's first Cabinet resigned yesterday following allegations of ethical lapses, Lee's spokesman said, an embarrassment for the new leader sworn in just two days ago.
Nam Joo-hong, nominee for unification minister dealing with North Korea, and Park Eun-kyung, nominee for environment minister, offered to quit and Lee accepted the resignations, spokesman Lee Dong-kwan said.
They are the second and third ministers-designate for the new Cabinet to resign because of allegations of real estate speculation and other irregularities.
On the eve of Lee's inauguration on Monday, the nominee for gender equality minister also stepped down over allegations she engaged in real estate speculation.
Nam and Park "conveyed their intention to voluntarily step down this morning, saying they do not want to give a burden to the new government and the president," the spokesman said.
The opposition United Democratic Party had demanded Lee replace the two, boycotting confirmation hearings for them.
Lee's choice of prime minister, Han Seung-soo, is also under a cloud after the nominee was found to have omitted an expensive apartment when reporting his personal assets.
On Tuesday, the opposition party, which forms the largest voting bloc in the National Assembly, delayed a vote on Han's appointment until after tomorrow following internal debates on whether to endorse the nomination.
Meanwhile, the nation's former tax chief was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison yesterday for taking bribes from a junior official seeking a promotion, a Busan District Court spokesman said.
The court also ruled that Jeon Goon-pyo, a former head of the National Tax Service, must pay a fine of 79.4 million won (US$84,000), which will be given to the Treasury, the spokesman said.
The sum is the same amount he received in kickbacks from Jung Sang-gon, then a regional tax chief in Busan, between July 2006 and January last year, the spokesman said.
Jeon, who has denied the charges, was expected to appeal the ruling, Yonhap news agency said.
Jung was given four years for bribing Jeon and receiving 100 million won from a building contractor for helping him avoid a tax investigation, a court official said.
Also see: EDITORIAL: Even Ma must be dumbstruck
NO HUMAN ERROR: After the incident, the Coast Guard Administration said it would obtain uncrewed aerial vehicles and vessels to boost its detection capacity Authorities would improve border control to prevent unlawful entry into Taiwan’s waters and safeguard national security, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday after a Chinese man reached the nation’s coast on an inflatable boat, saying he “defected to freedom.” The man was found on a rubber boat when he was about to set foot on Taiwan at the estuary of Houkeng River (後坑溪) near Taiping Borough (太平) in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口), authorities said. The Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) northern branch said it received a report at 6:30am yesterday morning from the New Taipei City Fire Department about a
IN BEIJING’S FAVOR: A China Coast Guard spokesperson said that the Chinese maritime police would continue to carry out law enforcement activities in waters it claims The Philippines withdrew its coast guard vessel from a South China Sea shoal that has recently been at the center of tensions with Beijing. BRP Teresa Magbanua “was compelled to return to port” from Sabina Shoal (Xianbin Shoal, 仙濱暗沙) due to bad weather, depleted supplies and the need to evacuate personnel requiring medical care, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Jay Tarriela said yesterday in a post on X. The Philippine vessel “will be in tiptop shape to resume her mission” after it has been resupplied and repaired, Philippine Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, who heads the nation’s maritime council, said
REGIONAL STABILITY: Taipei thanked the Biden administration for authorizing its 16th sale of military goods and services to uphold Taiwan’s defense and safety The US Department of State has approved the sale of US$228 million of military goods and services to Taiwan, the US Department of Defense said on Monday. The state department “made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale” to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US for “return, repair and reshipment of spare parts and related equipment,” the defense department’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a news release. Taiwan had requested the purchase of items and services which include the “return, repair and reshipment of classified and unclassified spare parts for aircraft and related equipment; US Government
More than 500 people on Saturday marched in New York in support of Taiwan’s entry to the UN, significantly more people than previous years. The march, coinciding with the ongoing 79th session of the UN General Assembly, comes close on the heels of growing international discourse regarding the meaning of UN Resolution 2758. Resolution 2758, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1971, recognizes the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the “only lawful representative of China.” It resulted in the Republic of China (ROC) losing its seat at the UN to the PRC. Taiwan has since been excluded from