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, the nominee, 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.
"I have no choice but to withdraw my nomination because this is, more than
anything else, an issue directly linked to the people's trust of the government,"
the president said at a weekly meeting with his top secretaries, according to the
spokesman.
Chung Tong-gi, the senior secretary to the president for civil affairs, tendered
his resignation at the meeting for failing to verify Chun's background and
suitability for the job, the spokesman said.
It was not yet clear whether his resignation would also be accepted.
At a highly-charged confirmation hearing Monday, Chun was grilled about a "loan"
he received from a local businessman to buy an expensive apartment and about his
family's luxurious lifestyle. He was accused of lying when he said he did not
remember taking an overseas golf trip with corporate officials.
The Lee administration, under persistent criticism for its personnel
mismanagement, has been accused of using a lax verification process.
"I hold myself fully responsible for causing deep concern to the nation during
the parliamentary confirmation hearing," Chun had said Tuesday.
Chun, currently the head of the Seoul District Prosecutors' Office, said he was
also stepping down from that post.