South Korean Prime Minister Han Seung-soo and the Cabinet offered to resign en masse Tuesday, taking responsibility for the intensifying political crisis triggered by the government's failure in negotiations regarding U.S. beef imports.
The presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae said Han tendered his and the Cabinet ministers' resignations to President Lee Myung-bak after chairing a weekly Cabinet meeting. Han had already admitted his failing in communicating with people over key policy issues and claimed responsibility for escalating anti-government street demonstrations.
The unprecedented collective offer of resignation came as more than 1 million people are expected to hold street rallies nationwide Tuesday night in protest against the Lee administration's U.S. beef import deal and other policy mistakes.
Yonhap News said President Lee will selectively accept the offer, replacing half a dozen ministers involved in the U.S. beef import deal, including Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan, Agriculture Minister Chung Woon-chun and Finance Minister Kang Man-soo.
Last Friday, all eight senior secretaries to President Lee, including presidential chief of staff Yu Woo-ik, offered to resign, holding themselves responsible for the escalating dispute over the controversial beef deal.
To ease people's anger, Lee has taken various measures, including a phone conversation with U.S. President George W. Bush. During the call, Lee asked Bush to cooperate in preventing the import of U.S. beef from older cattle, regarded as posing the greatest risk of transmitting mad cow disease.
However, Lee's actions have failed to defuse local consumer jitters about mad cow disease, with hard-line civic activists and opposition parties still vowing to resist until Lee agrees to renegotiate the beef deal with Washington to completely ban imports of all dangerous cattle byproducts, including the intestines of younger cattle.