By Shim Sun-ah
SEOUL, Aug. 29 (Yonhap) -- Prime minister-designate Kim Tae-ho and two other nominees said Sunday they were stepping down, caving in to fierce opposition after they were battered by corruption allegations at confirmation hearings last week.

   Kim, former governor of South Gyeongsang Province, was designated on Aug. 8, and would have become the youngest prime minister in nearly 40 years. His nomination was part of a Cabinet reshuffle that also affected seven ministers and two minister-level officials as President Lee Myung-bak charted a new lineup for the latter half of his five-year term. Prime minister-designate Kim Tae-ho
Two other Cabinet minister nominees, for knowledge economy and culture, announced their resignations soon after Kim, further complicating the state of affairs for President Lee. The two nominees also had come under fire for unethical and law-breaking conducts.

   Kim, who just turned 48, had been under mounting pressure from opposition parties and even some legislators of the ruling party to give up the nomination after discrepancies in his testimony about his shady relations with a convicted local businessman during his confirmation hearing.

   The suspicion dealt a critical blow to Kim already dogged by allegations that he misfiled his family's personal wealth, hired an employee of his provincial government as a maid and allowed his wife to use a government vehicle for personal use.

   A son of a poor peasant, the appointee had been associated with the president's new policy goal of helping the working class, and the making of a younger, more approachable government.

   "I feel really sorry for causing trouble to all the people with my own problems," Kim said in a nationally televised announcement.

   "I'm resigning from the post today with the thought that I should no longer be an obstacle to President Lee Myung-bak in his carrying out of state affairs."

   Presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said it will support Kim's decision.

   "We respect his decision although it is regrettable," a key presidential official said, adding that the selecting process for another nominee will begin immediately.

   The GNP reacted similarly.

   "We understand his resignation as the nominee's tormented choice," Ahn Hyoung-hwan, spokesman of the ruling Grand National Party (GNP), said in a statement. "With this, the GNP will humbly accept the will of the people and make efforts to improve communication with them and for unity."

   The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) welcomed Kim's decision.

   "Truth wins out in the long run," Cho Young-taek, floor spokesman of the party, told reporters. "It was the least he could do for the people."

   It was not certain whether the DP would drop its campaign against the other nominees. The opposition party has demanded resignations of other designates as well, including Cho Hyun-ho, tapped for national police chief.

   Kim is the third prime minister nominee who failed to be confirmed since 2000 when a law on confirmation hearings took effect.

   On Friday, rival parties had clashed head-on over endorsing Kim as the DP fiercely opposed his appointment, citing his failure to explicate himself from a bribery scandal.

   Kim, during the confirmation hearing, was bruised by allegations that he lied about his ties and contacts with businessman Park Yeon-cha.

   The nominee was accused of receiving tens of thousands of dollars in 2007 in illegal political funds from Park, then head of shoemaker Taekwang Industry. At that time, Kim was serving as governor of South Gyeongsang Province, where the company is based.

   The prosecution had cleared him of bribery charges in December, but suspicions flared again when the nominee was found to have lied about when he met the businessman. A critical photo showed up last week showing him with Park at a date far earlier than Kim claimed.

   During Sunday's news conference, Kim said he was partly resentful of being called a liar, but that it was due to his lack of discretion.

   "I think trust is the most important human virtue," he said. "Without the trust from the people, what would I be able to do even if I do become prime minister?"

   Soon after Kim's announcement, Cabinet nominees for the ministries of economy and culture also offered to resign after accusations of serious ethical violations.

   President Lee accepted their resignation, according to his chief of staff, Yim Tae-hee.

   Knowledge economy minister-designate Lee Jae-hoon had apologized for his wife's dubious real estate purchase that the opposition charged was a speculative deal, while culture minister nominee Shin Jae-min admitted to false residential registration to send his daughter to a different school. Shin had said it was to protect his daughter from bullies.

   sshim@yna.co.kr
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