President Lee accepts resignation of Oceans Minister Chun Jae-soo

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Published: 11 Dec. 2025, 13:07

Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Chun Jae-soo returns to Korea after a UN-related event through Incheon International Airport on Dec. 11. [YONHAP]

President Lee Jae Myung has accepted the resignation of Oceans and Fisheries Minister Chun Jae-soo.

The decision was made public in a statement from the presidential office to reporters on Thursday, which added that “the matter will be handled according to procedure.”

Earlier in the day, Chun announced his decision to step down during a press briefing at Incheon International Airport, saying, “It is the duty of a public servant to respond honorably by resigning from the ministerial post.”

Chun denied the allegations against him, calling them “outrageous and entirely baseless,” but added that he was resigning “to ensure that the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, and the Lee Jae Myung administration as a whole, are not shaken by this controversy.”

The decision comes after special counsel Min Joong-ki, who is leading an investigation into former first lady Kim Keon Hee, obtained testimony from Yoon Young-ho, a former senior official of the Unification Church. Yoon claimed that between 2018 and 2020, the church delivered around 40 million won ($27,000) in cash and two luxury watches to Chun while he was serving as a lawmaker.

BY SHIN HYE-YEON [[email protected]]