SENIOR OFFICIALS OFFER TO RESIGN

[Anchor Lead]

Senior government officials appointed under the previous administration who have been pressured to step down from their posts by the ruling party are expressing their intent to resign one after another. This includes executive vice-chairperson of the Peaceful Unification Advisory Council Lee Seok-hyun and chairman Ghim Sa-youl of the Presidential Committee for Balanced National Development who each have one year left in their terms. Meanwhile the main opposition Democratic Party is demanding an end to an ongoing special audit into the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission as its chair Jeon Hyun-hee is also being pressured to step down.

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People Power Party floor leader Kweon Seong-dong has been urging the resignation of the heads of public institutions appointed by the previous administration. Last month, he specifically called out Lee Seok-hyun of the Unification Advisory Council and Anti-Corruption Commission chair Jeon Hyun-hee. He accused them of staying in the post just to collect paychecks and betraying the will of the Korean people.

[Soundbite] Kweon Seong-dong(Floor Leader, People Power Party(July 4)) : "I believe remaining in their posts as a means of living and retaining their status, can be seen as acts of betrayal against the Korean people."

Lee has now offered to resign, with about a year left in his term. He claims to have concluded that it will be difficult to continue serving as executive vice-chair, a proxy post that stands in for the council chair which is the president.

[Soundbite] Lee Seok-hyun(Executive vice-chair, Peaceful Unification Advisory Council) : "It’s not right to continue this job without the president’s vote of confidence or related request."

Lee however expressed the opinion that tenures dictated by law should be guaranteed in law-abiding countries. There are reports former conservative party chair Kim Moo-sung could be named as the successor. Ghim Sa-youl who heads the Presidential Committee for Balanced National Development also conveyed intent to step down later this month. But he criticized the pressure exerted on employees to resign with no consultations on their future. Meanwhile the main opposition Democratic Party is calling for an end to a special audit of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission saying the inspection clearly targets the agency.

[Soundbite] Kim Jong-min(Democratic Party) : "Political maneuvers aimed at driving out public officials constitutes power abuse, an unlawful act."

The commission's chair Jeon Hyun-hee reiterated that she has no plans to step down, stressing her biggest concern is employees' well-being and what they may have to endure.