A senior South Korean diplomat in Japan has resigned only nine months after taking office, citing preparations to run for next year’s parliamentary elections, an official said Tuesday.

Kim Seok-ki, the consul general in Osaka, recently submitted his resignation to the presidential office and returned home on Monday, the Foreign Ministry official said.

Kim has reportedly cited his plan to run in the parliamentary elections scheduled next April.

The move comes nine months after the former police chief nominee was appointed to lead the South Korean consulate in Osaka.

In 2009, Kim withdrew his nomination from the top police job following a deadly clash between police and protesters against a redevelopment project in Seoul.

The clash killed protesters and one police officer. It was considered one of South Korea’s worst clashes between police and demonstrators. (Yonhap News)