Lee Jong-sup's resignation as ambassador to Australia accepted

Ambassador to Australia Lee Jong-sup, far right, attends a meeting of diplomatic mission chiefs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Thursday. [YONHAP]

Ambassador to Australia Lee Jong-sup's resignation was accepted by the Foreign Ministry on Friday after he expressed his intention to resign to Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul earlier that day.

"Lee's resignation has been accepted and reported to the presidential office," said the Foreign Ministry in a statement to reporters.

Lee offered to resign on Friday amid continuing backlash from the public and the political sphere over his appointment as ambassador.

President Yoon Suk Yeol approved Lee’s resignation later Friday, his office said.

"I have requested the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) to speed up their investigation into myself, but the CIO has still yet to set a date," said Lee through his lawyer Kim Jae-hoon last Monday. "I will remain in Seoul and respond to all accusations against me thoroughly."

Lee's tendered his resignation less than a month after he was first appointed on March 4. He is currently back in Seoul for a meeting of diplomatic chiefs of mission on defense industry cooperation, which started last week.

The appointment of Lee, formerly a defense minister between May 2022 and October 2023, was met with much backlash and criticism because he is under an ongoing investigation by the CIO for allegedly influencing probes into the death of a marine during the floods that swept Korea last summer.

The defense industry meeting of six ambassadors, including Lee, was also called out as a ruse to justify Lee's stay in Korea after he returned from Australia just 11 days after resuming the position of ambassador in Canberra.

Lee has argued that there was "no illegality whatsoever" in his carrying out of duties as defense minister and that he welcomes a quick and thorough CIO investigation.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]