President Lee Myung-bak is likely to accept the resignation of the chief prosecutor, who offered to quit Wednesday over a corruption inquiry that led to the suicide of former President Roh Moo-hyn, an official said yesterday.

Cheong Wa Dae had tried to persuade Prosecutor General Lim Chae-jin to stay at least until the case was concluded, but he remained stubborn in his decision.

The president is likely to respect his decision and accept his resignation today, a presidential official said on condition of anonymity.

His deputy Moon Sung-woo will serve as acting prosecutor general before Lim`s replacement is named.



Lim was appointed by Roh in November 2007 for a two-year term.

He unexpectedly tendered his resignation Wednesday to Justice Minister Kim Kyung-han. He had submitted his first resignation request on May 23, the day Roh committed suicide amid the prosecutorial investigation into his alleged bribery cases.

"I, as leader of the overall investigation, truly apologize for causing the people concerns and grief, despite all our efforts," said Lim before offering to resign a second time.

"We have tried to elevate the public trust by leading a fair investigation, even during various political scandals, but have failed to meet expectations."

Lim, who left his office soon after handing in his resignation letter, did not show up for work yesterday, despite Cheong Wa Dae`s request.

Worries exist within the prosecution that even Lim`s resignation will not be sufficient to settle all the social blame.

After Lim declared his intent to resign, the main opposition Democratic Party still demanded the dismissal of other top officials involved in the Roh investigation, including Justice Minister Kim Kyung-han and chief investigating prosecutor Lee In-kyu.

Lim`s second attempt to resign came a day after the court refused to issue the arrest warrant for Chun Shin-il, an acquaintance of President Lee Myung-bak allegedly involved in the bribery scandal of Park Yeon-cha, friend and financial backer of Roh`s.

Prosecutors have not suggested sufficient grounds for Chun`s arrest, especially on his bribery charges, said the court after reviewing the arrest warrant.

Critical voices pointed out that investigators failed to prove themselves politically neutral, despite their attempts to escape public reproach into the excessive investigation of members of the previous administration, including Roh himself.

Though Lim was widely expected to resign once the Park Yeon-cha case was over, he decided to take the blame by immediately stepping down from his post, observers said.

(tellme@heraldm.com)



By Bae Hyun-jung