Presidential secretary offers to resign over election intervention

  A presidential aide offered to resign Saturday after allegations were raised that he illegally intervened in the ruling party's nomination process for candidates who want to run in June's local elections, the presidential office said.

   "Lim Jong-hoon, a presidential secretary for civil affairs, handed in his resignation, and we believe it will be accepted," presidential spokesman Min Kyung-wook told Yonhap News Agency.

   Min said that action against the secretary is expected to be taken on Monday at the earliest.

   On Friday, critic alleged that Lim had interviewed all 15 candidates vying for party nomination for local councilors in a constituency in Gyeonggi Province that surrounds Seoul.

   By law, public officials are banned from intervening in elections. (Yonhap)