South Korea: Yoon's top security aide to resign

The top security aide to South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol is set to resign from his post. The resignation comes ahead of Yoon’s summit with US President Joe Biden that will take place in April.

On Wednesday, South Korean National Security Adviser Kim Sung-han was reportedly going to resign from his post ahead of the upcoming summit between Yoon and Biden next month. Media reports said that Kim could likely be replaced due to issues with planning related to Yoon’s visit to Washington for the summit.

Kim said he wanted to return to academia after laying the foundation to restore South Korea’s alliance with the United States and improve relations with Japan, according to the message released by Yoon’s office. Kim also said that Yoon’s upcoming visit to the US was being prepared well to ensure a smooth transition by his successor.

South Korea’s Yonhap news reported that Yoon nominated South Korea’s ambassador to the US Cho Tae-yong, to succeed Kim following the announcement of Kim’s resignation.

On the same day, Yoon and Biden issued a joint statement announcing that Seoul would host the third “Summit for Democracy.” The second summit’s plenary session is set to be held on Wednesday with 120 countries, civil society groups, and technology companies in attendance. The second summit is being co-hosted by the US, Costa Rica, Zambia, the Netherlands, and South Korea.

“The United States and the Republic of Korea share deep bonds, rooted in our common democratic values and norms and respect for human rights and we are committed to further strengthening our robust political, economic, security, and people-to-people ties,” said the statement.

It remains to be seen when the next summit will be held or whether other countries will be co-hosting the meeting by that time.

Last week, South Korean opposition leader Lee Jae-myung was indicted on charges of corruption surrounding real estate development projects and a football club he oversaw during his time as the mayor of Seongnam. Lee is facing charges including bribery, breach of duty, conflict of interest, and concealment of criminal proceeds that stem from his tenure as Seongnam mayor, according to Yonhap.

The indictment was announced by the Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office after an 18-month investigation into a $1.15 billion construction project in Seongnam.