Premier Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄) yesterday approved the resignation of Minister without Portfolio Chu Yun-peng (朱雲鵬), who on Wednesday admitted he had skipped work to go out on dates during office hours after a local magazine carried a story and photos of him and his girlfriend hitting the town on April 7 and April 10.
Chu, a key adviser for the the Cabinet's economic and cross-strait policies, told a press conference last night that he made a verbal offer to resign on Wednesday after the story by Chinese-language weekly Next Magazine hit the newsstand. Although Liu rejected his verbal offer to quit, Chu said on Friday he submitted a written resignation, adding that Liu had not approved his resignation until yesterday after he again expressed his wish to leave the Cabinet.
Chu apologized to the public on Wednesday, but also defended himself by saying his work kept him occupied after normal working hours and on weekends, adding that he was once so busy that he contracted an illness and had to check into a hospital.
At the press conference last night, Chu again offered an apology, saying that he felt sorry for the time and resources the public spent in discussing the matter.
Chu, a professor of economics at National Central University, said he would continue his teaching career.
Executive Yuan spokesman Su Jun-pin (蘇俊賓), who also attended the press conference, said Liu “reluctantly” accepted the resignation after he insisted.
Liu's approval of Chu's resignation came as a surprise because on Wednesday Su quoted Liu as saying that he gave Chu an oral reprimand and demanded that he not “repeat the mistake.”
On Thursday, when asked whether Chu should step down, following the precedents of former Taipei City Civil Affairs Department chief Ho Hung-jung (何鴻榮) and former Taipei City Research and Examination Department director Chou Wen-tsai (周韻采), who were also caught skipping work, Su said that they were different cases and couldn't be compared to each other.
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