South Korea’s presidential chief of staff offers to resign amid slide in Lee’s support

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung's chief of staff, Kang Hoon-sik, tendered his resignation on Monday, according to the presidential office. The decision came after a series of drops in Lee's approval ratings, which have been attributed to unsuccessful ministerial nominations. President Lee stated later on Monday that he had yet to determine whether to accept Kang's resignation.

Kang's offer to step down stemmed from his intention to assume full responsibility as Lee's top aide following the president's acknowledgment during a press conference last week that public concern over his administration signaled his own shortcomings, as reported by Yonhap News Agency, citing a presidential official. The resignation followed criticism over recent government appointments, including the rejections of gender equality and family minister nominee Yong Hye-in and justice minister nominee Kim Seung-won.

In a survey released on Monday by pollster Realmeter, Lee's approval rating saw a 1 percentage point increase to 34.8%, marking its first rise in 10 weeks.