The Presidential Office said Wednesday that Kim Nam-kook, senior secretary for digital communication, submitted his resignation and it was accepted. The resignation came three days after he was caught exchanging text messages with Democratic Party lawmaker Moon Jin-seok that appeared to involve personnel solicitation.
On January 2, media outlets captured images showing Moon asking Kim via mobile messenger to recommend a specific alumnus from their shared university for the position of chairman of the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association. Kim's response was also photographed: "I'll recommend him to Hoon-sik hyung and Hyun-ji noona," using informal Korean terms of address.
The Presidential Office announced a day later that Kim would receive a stern warning for violating workplace discipline, but as criticism from opposition parties continued, Kim submitted his resignation, which was accepted.
