Korean Ambassador To Myanmar Offers To Resign Amid Involvement In Corruption Scandal
South Korea's ambassador to Myanmar offered to resign in case it will be proven that his appointment has been interfered by a close friend of Korea's ousted president Park Geun-hye. It has been reported that the close friend of the former president was actually involved in his appointment as revealed by an official of the foreign ministry last Friday.
With the latest development of the scandal, Ambassador Yoo Jae-kyung expressed his desire and intention to vacate his post and resign due to personal reasons. It is not clear until now if his reason has something to do with the current political turmoil that involved Park and some top official of the country. What is certain is that he will voluntarily resign as the country's envoy to Myanmar as per Yonhap News.
But even if he denies it later, some reports were claiming that his resignation has something to do with the latest revelation that Choi Soon-sil, a close friend of Park Geun-hye was actually the one behind his appointment.
One thing that even added to the revelation and the allegation was his background even before he was given the post. Yoo, who was a former executive at Samsung Electro-Mechanics Corporation, actually has no qualifications at all in diplomacy. He was appointed last May of 2016 and his appointment sparked speculations and controversies as someone might be behind his designation and his recommendation.
When he was summoned before the court for a questioning last January for the investigation of a massive scandal involving Park and Choi, Yoo was able to reveal something as mentioned by Korea Herald. Throughout the interrogation and the questioning, Yoo shared that he met Choi for many times. Then he revealed that Choi was actually the one behind his recommendation. Yoo was specifically chosen for the post in order to help Choi deal with her business in Myanmar.
If Yoo will resign as the ambassador of South Korea to Myanmar, the ministry will accept his resignation. After this and also to give light to the allegation, Yoo will be expected to return to the country not later than this month.