South Korean prime minister steps down in bribery scandal

South Korean Prime Minister Lee Wan Koo is out in bribery scandal

(Image credit: Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)

On Monday, South Korean President Park Geun-hye said she has accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Lee Wan Koo, two months after Lee took office and a week after he submitted his resignation in a bribery scandal. A businessman, Sang Wan-jong, said that he paid Lee about $27,000 in bribes in 2013; Sang committed suicide earlier in April. Lee denied the allegation. In South Korea, the president holds most of the levers of power.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.