South Korea President Lee's Chief of Staff Offers to Resign Amid Falling Approval Ratings

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung's chief of staff, Kang Hoon-sik, offered to resign on Monday, the presidential office said, following weeks of declining approval ratings that have been partly attributed to failed ministerial nominations.

Lee said later on Monday that he had not yet decided whether to accept the resignation.

Kang tendered his resignation to take "overall responsibility" as the president's top aide, after Lee acknowledged at a press conference last week that public concern over his administration reflected his own shortcomings, according to a presidential official cited by Yonhap News Agency.

The resignation comes amid criticism over recent government appointments, including the withdrawal of the nominations of former gender equality and family minister nominee Yong Hye-in and former justice minister nominee Kim Seung-won.

Lee's approval rating rose 1 percentage point to 34.8% in a survey released on Monday by pollster Realmeter, marking its first increase in 10 weeks.