Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan on Saturday has resigned as criticisms of nepotism snowballed over the ministry's controversial hiring of his daughter, Yonhap news agency said.
"Minister Yu has decided to voluntarily step down as he felt sorry to the people about the trouble the hiring of his daughter has caused," ministry spokesman Kim Young-sun told reporters, it said.
His resignation came a day after he offered a public apology amid mounting criticism over allegations of nepotism.
On Friday, Yu apologized after allegations of special favors surfaced over the hiring of his 35-year-old daughter for a mid-level post and said that she would not take the job. Still, Yu contended that the hiring process was fair, but public anger has not subsided.
President Lee lamented after being briefed on the case, and ordered a "thorough" audit, his aides said.
A liberal newspaper, Hankyoreh, said his resignation was, in fact, tantamount to get fired from the post.
Yu is the longest-serving Cabinet minister under the current administration, serving in the job since the start of the Lee administration in February 2008.