President Yoon Suk-yeol accepted Lee Jong-sup’s resignation on Friday, 25 days after he appointed Lee to serve as South Korea’s ambassador to Australia. Lee, who served as defense minister from May 2022 to Oct. 2023, is accused of improperly influencing a probe into the death of a marine during floods last year. Lee faced mounting criticism over his departure despite being subject to an investigation.

Critics accused Lee of fleeing the investigation by leaving for Canberra shortly after the exit ban was lifted, although he denies any wrongdoing. Lee returned to Seoul on March 21 to attend a defense cooperation meeting. According to his lawyer, Lee plans to stay in Seoul and respond to all procedures, despite not being summoned for questioning by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials.