South Korea PM to quit over golfing gaffe

SEOUL - South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun has accepted the resignation of his prime minister, who faced calls to step down for playing golf with businessmen while a railway strike was causing transport chaos.

Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan had offered to step down earlier in the day, the presidential Blue House said in a statement. The incident comes as Roh is battling the lowest support ratings for his administration since it took power in 2003.

In South Korea's political system, executive power is vested with the president. But Roh, who campaigned on a pledge to share power, had given considerable authority to the prime minister.

Lee is expected to officially step down within a week, a government official said.

Several newspapers and politicians have called on Lee to quit for failing to attend to the national rail strike and instead playing golf with a group that included a businessman convicted of financial crimes and another under investigation for price fixing.

Lee met with Roh earlier in the day and Lee apologised for the incident and for "causing trouble with careless conduct", the Blue House said.

Roh returned on Tuesday from a three-nation tour of Africa.

Independent political analyst Yu Chang-sun said the resignation will make it harder for Roh to implement his domestic policy agenda. "Roh will be hard pressed to find a person of Lee's calibre," Yu said by telephone.

Lee, a five-term legislator and prime minister since June 2004, was largely responsible for the daily running of domestic policy and was considered one of the most powerful premiers in the country's history.

He oversaw the administration's efforts to boost the regional economy, reverse a sharply declining birth rate and reform a national pension plan that analysts said may not be financially sustainable.

Lee was also under to pressure to step down from members of his ruling Uri Party in order to avoid any damage to the progressive party as it battles local elections in districts across the country in May.

Lee has cancelled his appearances for the next few days, including a meeting with business leaders on Wednesday and another with the ruling party on creating jobs, an official at the prime minister's office said by telephone.

Lee's office had a role to play in the rail strike because it involved the state-run national railway as well as the transport ministry, his critics said.

Lee was criticised previously for playing golf when South Korea had trouble mobilising firefighters to extinguish a forest fire that engulfed a historic temple and again when large parts of the country were battling floods.

Roh had stood by Lee, saying few people shared his political ideals as closely as Lee did. Lee, a former democracy activist and later education minister, was widely expected to serve until Roh's single five-year term ends in early 2008.

- REUTERS