Seoul: President Lee Jae Myung has decided to withdraw his nomination of Education Minister nominee Lee Jin-sook, the presidential office announced on Sunday, following allegations of unlawfully sending her daughter to study abroad at an early age.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the decision comes after President Lee took into consideration various opinions and conducted a thorough review of the nomination. Presidential secretary for political affairs, Woo Sang-ho, addressed the press, urging the National Assembly to quickly implement follow-up measures.
The controversy centered around Lee Jin-sook's decision to send her second daughter, now 33, to study in the United States in 2007. At the time, her daughter was in her third year of middle school, which was in violation of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act mandating compulsory education up to middle school.
During her confirmation hearing, Lee Jin-sook expressed her sincere apologies, stating that she was unaware her actions were in violation of the law at that time. Additionally, Lee faced allegations of academic plagiarism, which she dismissed, attributing them to a misunderstanding of the academic context as reported by the media.