President withdraws nomination of top prosecutor

SEOUL, July 15 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Myung-bak on Wednesday withdrew his earlier pick for prosecutor general after the nominee was accused of dubious financial transactions in connection with his personal wealth.

Chun Sung-gwan had said Tuesday that he was resigning from the nomination.
President Lee stressed that honesty is one of the key requirements for top
government officials, especially the prosecutor general, his spokesman said.
"The prosecution is where people who do wrong and lie undergo investigation, and
that is why it is unacceptable that he (Chun) was caught lying at the National
Assembly confirmation hearing," the president was quoted as saying by spokesman
Lee Dong-kwan.
Chung Tong-gi, the senior secretary to the president for civil affairs, also
tendered his resignation Wednesday for failing to verify Chun's background and
suitability for the job, the spokesman said.