A presidential staffer has been removed from his post recently after he was found to have been entertained with golf and accepted a gift certificate from businesses, an official said Thursday.

The ex-staffer, who had worked under the senior economic affairs secretary, was sent back to his original ministry about a month ago after the misconduct was uncovered during a routine disciplinary inspection, the official said on the condition of anonymity.

The gift certificate was found in his desk drawer, the official said.

The wrongdoing took place before the official joined Cheong Wa Dae, he said. The official also denied a newspaper report that another official left the top office for a similar reason, stressing the departure had nothing to do with corruption. (Yonhap News)