The South Korean presidential office accepted Tuesday the resignation of the country's Army chief, officials said, who has been under criticism over a property investment.
Army Chief of Staff Gen. Hwang Eui-don submitted his application for retirement to the office of President Lee Myung-bak earlier in the day, and Lee accepted it, an official at the defense ministry said on condition of anonymity, YONHAP news agency reported.
"Gen. Hwang offered to retire following media reports about his property investment because he judged it was inappropriate for him to stay on the post at a time when he has to lead the reform of the Army," the official said.
Hwang, who was named to the post in June, became embroiled in a controversy after he was found to have made huge capital gains through a property investment based on an early tip he allegedly obtained that building regulations would be eased.
A source at the ministry had said Gen. Han Min-koo, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), also expressed his intent to retire, but Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin persuaded him not to.
Col. Lee Bung-woo, a JCS spokesman, quickly denied the source's remark, saying, "It's not true that Gen. Han expressed intention to retire."
The JCS chairman has been under fire for what many politicians say was a feeble response to North Korea's bombardment of a South Korean island last month.
The South's military remains on high alert after the North's artillery attack on Yeonpyeong Island near the tense Yellow Sea border that killed four people.
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