Another SKorean leader ousted in golf scandal

Seoul, Mar 21: South Korea's air force commander resigned today, becoming the latest leader in the country brought down in part by a golfing scandal.

President Roh Moo-hyun accepted the resignation of Air Force Chief of Staff Kim Seong-il, a presidential spokesman said.

In an abrupt announcement, Kim said he was offering to resign to take responsibility for air crashes that occurred during his tenure, an Air Force spokesman said.

But he was also facing intense criticism for reportedly playing golf while the nation mourned the death of the first South Korean soldier killed in an overseas assignment in decades.

Kim played golf on March 1 during a military mourning period for the soldier who was killed in a bomb attack outside a US military base in Afghanistan, local media reported.

In March 2006, then South Korean Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan left office after being criticised for playing golf while a railway strike was causing transport chaos.

Reuters