Chairperson Lee Bae-yong, who is under suspicion of having handed a "golden turtle" to Kim Keon-hee, the wife of former President Yoon Suk-yeol, expressed his intention to resign on the 1st.
In a statement that day, he said, "I would like to resign as Chairperson of the National Education Commission today" and that he would "faithfully clarify the facts regarding the content reported by the media" during the investigation process.
He is under suspicion of having handed Kim Keon-hee a "golden turtle" weighing 10 don (37.5g). Earlier, the special investigation team led by Min Jung-ki reportedly discovered a letter that appears to have been written by Lee to the former presidential couple, along with the golden turtle, during a search related to suspicions of preferential treatment in the development of the Yangpyeong Gongheung district involving Kim's family.
The special investigation team is reportedly suspicious that Lee requested a favor for an appointment to the National Education Commission through Kim Keon-hee. The former president of Ewha Womans University, Lee served as the chair of the National Brand Commission during the Lee Myung-bak administration before being appointed chairperson of the National Education Commission, which was first launched by the Yoon Suk-yeol administration in September 2022.
In relation to this, on Aug. 28, the special investigation team led by Min Jung-ki even searched Lee's home. Following this, Lee did not attend the cabinet meeting held on the 29th of the same month. He is currently reported to be on leave.
In this regard, claims emerged within the ruling party that Lee had taken a "vacation to escape" to avoid attending the plenary session of the National Assembly's budget and settlement committee scheduled for that day.