South Korean Prime Minister Chung Un-chan is expected to formally offer his resignation on Thursday or Friday, local leading broadcaster YTN reported.
Chung expressed his strong intention to step down during an one- on-one meeting with the President Lee Myung-bak on July 6, taking responsibility for the failure to gain parliamentary approval for the contentious Sejong City revision bill.
With the completion of Wednesday’s parliament by-elections, Chung believed “it’s time for tender resignation”, and the President Lee Myung-bak will likely accept it, according to local media.
In late June, Chung said in a national broadcast speech that he would shoulder responsibility for the government’s failure to pass a revised bill aimed at scrapping an original plan by the previous administration to relocate parts of the government out of the capital Seoul. It was widely believed that Chung’s speech sent a signal that he would step down.