Seoul, Nov 14 South Korea's consul general in New York has offered to step down amid growing criticism from the opposition party in Seoul over his personal ties to First Lady Kim Keon Hee.
In a statement released to media on Wednesday (New York time), Kim Euy-whan said he had already submitted his resignation to the foreign ministry on October 26, following the parliamentary audit where he came under intense scrutiny from opposition party lawmakers, Yonhap news agency reported.
Kim denied that his connection to the first lady was the reason for his appointment as the consul general, claiming that he has no reason to apologize for the "groundless political attack" and "false propaganda" by the main opposition Democratic Party (DP).
"I had not reacted to the DP's malicious attacks because it was just not worth it," Kim said in the statement. "But if this continues, it will be a burden for not only the foreign ministry but the government."
"I've concluded that I can no longer serve as the consul general due to the DP's groundless political attack ... After learning the DP's fictitious story ... I thought it was so typical of the DP habitually spreading false propaganda," Kim said.
A foreign ministry official in Seoul declined to confirm Kim's resignation, citing personnel policies.
The DP has accused Kim of being appointed to the consul general position due to his personal ties to the first lady, which date back more than a decade.
In the audit, Rep. Han Jeoung-ae of the DP claimed Kim became acquainted with the First Lady through a private forum around 2010 when she was the head of a cultural content company, and that connection got him the job as the consul general.
The consul general was also at the centre of controversy earlier this year after he publicly lashed out at a speech delivered on behalf of the head of the state-funded organisation for independence fighters at an event in New York.
The speech was about criticising the historical view of the new chief of the National History Museum on independence fighters that South Korea should recognise August 15, 1948 -- when the government of the first President Rhee Syng-man was launched -- as the national foundation day, instead of April 11, 1919.
The question of when South Korea came into being has long been a subject of ideological debate, with some arguing it was April 11, 1919, when a provisional government was established during Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule.
At the New York event, Kim decried the speech as "nonsense" and called to "crush the pro-North Korean leftist forces" in the South.
Kim was appointed as the consul general in December 2022. Prior to the current post, Kim spent most of his career in public service, having served in senior positions at the country's anti-corruption and civil rights commission.
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