Coast Guard chief offers to resign over officer's death

Coast Guard Commissioner General Kim Yong-jin delivers an eulogy during a funeral ceremony for the late Coast Guard officer Lee Jae-suk at the Incheon Coast Guard Station in Seo District, Incheon, Monday. Yonhap

The head of Korea Coast Guard offered to resign Monday over the death of an officer during a rescue operation, after President Lee Jae Myung ordered an independent probe into the case amid allegations of a cover-up.

Coast Guard Commissioner General Kim Yong-jin tendered his resignation days after assistant inspector Lee Jae-suk, 34, died while rescuing a man in his 70s stranded on a mudflat off the country's west coast. He reportedly gave his life jacket to the man before being swept away by the tide.

"I feel a heavy sense of responsibility in connection with the president's remarks on the fallen officer," Kim said in a statement. "I am offering my resignation to help uncover the truth behind this incident and to contribute to building a new Coast Guard."

At a press conference earlier in the day, Lee's fellow officers said patrols are required to be carried out in pairs and claimed the tragedy could have been prevented. They also alleged their superiors ordered them not to disclose specifics of the operation.