Pressure is mounting on President Lee Jae Myung and the ruling bloc, as backlash over Lee's most recent Cabinet picks continues despite two nominees opting to step down.
In the latest development, Lee's chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik on Monday offered to resign, taking responsibility for related developments.
According to Seong Ghi-hong, senior presidential secretary for public relations and communications, Kang extended his offer to the president on Monday morning, holding himself broadly accountable for the situation, after the president had repeatedly stated at a press conference on Friday that his own shortcomings were the reason the public was critical of state affairs.
Lee said in a meeting with his secretaries at Cheong Wa Dae on Monday that he has yet to decide whether to accept or reject the offer.
Kang has been serving as chief of staff since Lee's inauguration in June 2025. Kang was prior to that a three-term lawmaker of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea.
Two out of three top presidential aide positions will remain vacant if Lee accepts Kang's resignation, with Wi Sung-lac, director of national security, being the only top aide in Cheong Wa Dae.
The other post was previously held by Kim Yong-beom, who was chief secretary for policy at Cheong Wa Dae but stepped down as suspicions grew over his alleged role in South Korea's controversial launch of leveraged exchange-traded funds.
Kang's offer was the latest development in the ruling bloc's struggle to find a breakthrough in state affairs even after embattled minister nominees Rep. Kim Seung-won of the Democratic Party and Rep. Yong Hye-in of Basic Income Party declared they would no longer pursue the positions they were nominated for.
Kim Seung-won, a two-term lawmaker of the Democratic Party, had his confirmation report as a Justice Minister adopted Thursday by the Democratic Party-controlled Legislation and Judiciary Committee of the National Assembly, despite his alleged involvement in a stock pump-and-dump scheme through his alleged power abuse to expedite a drug approval of a South Korean drugmaker.
While Lee had not made a decision regarding the nominee, Kim announced Saturday that he would withdraw from the nomination.
Kim's decision came in the wake of local media reports that included Kim's alleged involvement in sexual harassment, workplace harassment and manipulation of financial statements of the liberal party's regional subchapter in Gyeonggi Province, among others.
Asked if the petition aimed at disclosing Kim's misdeeds had been submitted to Cheong Wa Dae, chief presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung declined to elaborate, but said the presidential office is an institution that "answers by using its power of nomination" in a radio interview Monday.
Kim followed the in footsteps of Yong, another embattled nominee who announced her decision to decline the nomination for the Gender Equality Minister on Sept. 13.
So far, two out of six nominees announced in late August's Cabinet reshuffle have stepped aside.
The main opposition People Power Party has ramped up pressure on the ruling bloc.
Rep. Jeong Jeom-sig, floor leader of the People Power Party, told reporters that Kang had made the "rightful" decision given that he oversees ministerial-level nominations and therefore bears the greatest responsibility for Cheong Wa Dae's failed nominations.
Jeong also said Prime Minister Han Seong-sook cannot avoid responsibility for her role in the failed nominations.
Conservative independent Rep. Han Dong-hoon on Sunday raised suspicions that the Democratic Party's leadership had forgone petitions by Kim's former secretaries, and therefore Democratic Party Chair Rep. Kim Min-seok, who backed Lee's justice minister nominations, should also be held accountable.
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