South Korea's Chief of Naval Operations Kang Dong-gil tendered his resignation on Friday after receiving disciplinary action over his alleged involvement in the Dec. 3 martial law incident.
The Ministry of National Defense announced it had imposed a heavy disciplinary measure on Kang for "violation of duty of integrity related to the Dec. 3 emergency martial law." The penalty was a one-month suspension from duty.
Kang was referred to the ministry's disciplinary committee on Nov. 27 on allegations that he ordered the Joint Chiefs of Staff's martial law division to support the establishment of the Martial Law Command. At the time of the martial law declaration, he was serving as director of military support at the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
He reportedly admitted to most of the allegations during the defense ministry's investigation.
In a statement released to media immediately after the disciplinary announcement, Kang said, "I respect the Ministry of National Defense's disciplinary decision and have tendered my resignation effective today."
Kang reportedly concluded that continuing to serve as Navy chief after receiving heavy discipline would be inappropriate.
The Ministry of National Defense plans to expedite the appointment of a new Navy chief. A "single-point personnel change" is likely to occur before the scheduled senior officer reshuffle next month.