Culture Minister nominee Chung Sung-keun has resigned from his candidacy, S. Korea's KBS reported.
The career journalist announced his decision on Wednesday in a news release, apologizing to the people for disturbing them and failing to give hope.
He said it is only reasonable for him to give up his candidacy, although he hasn't fully shed light on suspicions that came up during his confirmation hearing process.
The move comes as Chung’s confirmation hearing report was automatically scrapped after rival camps failed to narrow differences over his qualifications for the post.
The president on Tuesday requested the National Assembly adopt confirmation hearing reports for Chung and the public administration minister nominee. The National Assembly’s Education, Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee convened a full session Tuesday night and discussed adopting a confirmation hearing report on the nominee. However, the session was automatically adjourned as no agreements were reached past midnight.
Last week, lawmakers of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) held a news conference after Chung's hearing came to a halt. Opposition lawmakers refused to proceed with the hearing, saying Chung gave false testimony from the beginning.
The hearing addressed allegations of tax evasion and suspicions that Chung’s child broke age regulations when studying abroad.
The floor leader of the main opposition NPAD also visited the president last week and asked her to reconsider her nominations for the education and culture ministers.