On December 8, the Ministry of the Interior and Security of South Korea said that President Yoon accepted Mr. Lee's resignation immediately after he requested to leave office.

Mr. Lee, one of President Yoon's closest aides, had earlier offered to resign, a day after the main opposition Democratic Party proposed his impeachment. The impeachment vote is expected to take place on December 10.

However, Mr. Yoon's acceptance of Mr. Lee's resignation may attract more criticism, as this action is seen as an exercise of presidential power, contrary to the previous statement by ruling party leader Han Dong Hoon that Mr. Yoon would no longer participate in running state affairs until he leaves office.

In a National Assembly committee session after martial law was lifted, Mr. Lee defended President Yoon, asserting that Mr. Yoon had declared martial law within the framework of constitutional and legal procedures.

Last February, Lee Sang Min was suspended after the opposition-controlled National Assembly passed a motion to impeach him over the 2022 Halloween stampede in Seoul's Itaewon area that left 159 people dead.

However, in July last year, the Constitutional Court rejected the impeachment move and immediately reinstated Mr. Lee.

Ngoc Anh (according to Yonhap)