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South Korea's Foreign Minister Resigns

Posted on: Thursday, 15 January 2004, 06:00 CST

South Korea's foreign minister resigned Thursday, a day after President Roh Moo-hyun accused ministry officials of criticizing his foreign policy.

Roh accepted Yoon Young-kwan's resignation, saying the Foreign Ministry was not fully backing his administration's policy of "independence" from Washington. Roh took office a year ago promising to stand up on equal footing with South Korea's top ally.

Roh's office did not say who would replace Yoon.

The resignation comes at a critical juncture as South Korea and the United states wrangle with North Korea over its nuclear weapons programs and discuss sending South Korean troops to help the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq.

Yoon said at a news conference there were "some differences in perspective" between members of his staff and members of Roh's National Security Council.

He said the Foreign Ministry should serve to implement the president's policy. He acknowledged people were concerned about remarks reportedly made by his officials and said he took the dispute "heavily" and was "sincerely sorry."

Yonhap news agency quoted Jeong Chan-yong, a personnel affairs staffer for Roh, as saying the foreign minister was taking responsibility for failing to rein in criticism by ministry officials.

Local media reported that several officials in the North American affairs division, which handles U.S. relations, criticized Roh's policy as unrealistic.

In turn, some National Security Council members accused Yoon of leaning too much toward the United States, Yonhap reported.

Yoon said Thursday his nation's alliance with the United States is "very useful" in resolving issues such as the North Korean standoff.

Roh took office a year ago promising to stand up to Washington on equal footing. He has since been criticized by his prime constituency for agreeing to the Iraqi troop dispatch and taking a firmer position in talks over North Korea's nuclear weapons crisis.

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