The FINANCIAL -- South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan offered to resign after a controversial hiring of his daughter sparked a scandal, South Korean media said citing a ministry's spokesman, according to Ria Novosti.

"Minister Yu offered to step down, taking responsibility for causing controversy over the issue of hiring his daughter," Kim Young-sun, said.

Yu's 35-year-old daughter was appointed for a job at a department handling free-trade talks. However, earlier, she was rejected it along with another eight candidates, South Korean media said.

On Friday, Yu made a public apology over the scandal after his ministry hired his daughter for a well-paid job. The move sparked a lot of criticism among domestic newspapers and among Internet users and allegations of nepotism during a high unemployment period.

However, he denied any preference expressed towards his daughter during the hiring process.

Yu served as the foreign minister from February 29, 2008.

Related Stories

• A positive EU Summit for growth and jobs at last!
• NASA Hosts Events to Celebrate 50 Years of Americans in Orbit
• NASA Seeks Game Changing Technology Payloads for Suborbital Research Flights