South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan on Saturday offered his resignation amid criticism on the ministry’s controversial hiring of his daughter, Seoul’s foreign ministry said.

Yu offered his resignation to President Lee Myung-bak through the presidential chief of staff early Saturday, the Ministry of Foreign and Trade Affairs said in a press release.

Yu said he felt sorry for causing controversy in the nation with his daughter’s problems and decided to step down, taking responsibility for the matter, according to the ministry.

Yu offered apologized on Friday for the issue, saying that his daughter would withdraw her acceptance of the job, admitting that it was not appropriate for a daughter to work in the ministry headed by her father.

The foreign ministry defended recently that the selection process was fair and transparent, noting that Yu’s daughter’s qualifications and experience as a trade expert, who worked with the ministry for three years from 2006 as a trade expert and quit her job last year before marrying, met its required criteria in the recruitment process.

However, Yu’s apology and his ministry’s justification did not stop the public’s suspicions about his daughter’s preferential treatment.

On Friday, President Lee Myung-bak ordered an investigation into the issue.