Two ruling party leaders and the presidential chief of staff Thursday tendered their resignation, taking responsibility for the defeat in the June 2 local elections.
A presidential spokesman said that Presidential chief of staff Chung Jung-gil Thursday offered to resign over the landslide defeat in local elections.
Chung Mong-joon, chairman of the ruling Grand National Party (GNP), also said he will resign to take responsibility for the party's defeat in the local elections.
"I did my best but failed to win the heart of the people," Chung told senior party leaders in a meeting. "I feel responsible as the one who headed the party's election committee. I hereby express my intent to resign."
GNP Secretary-General Chung Byung-kook also offered to resign, saying he will assume "all responsibility" for the failure.
Party officials said the crisis management committee will likely assume interim leadership of the GNP after their resignations.
The GNP garnered six of the 16 mayoral and gubernatorial posts in Wednesday's elections while the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) won seven, according to the preliminary results.
Voters picked some 4,000 officials to lead cities and provinces as well as city councils and education boards, but the elections were regarded more as a midterm assessment of the Lee Myung-bak administration and a preview of the 2012 presidential election.