Jo Sang-jun, a deputy director of the National Intelligence Service known as a confidant of President Yoon Suk-yeol, has resigned from the post for health and personal reasons, the agency said Thursday, dismissing news reports linking his move with a possible internal rift over personnel affairs.

Jo's resignation, tendered on Tuesday and accepted by Yoon the same day, had sparked rampant speculation on why he quit only a few months after assuming the job and just a day before he was due to attend a parliamentary audit of his agency.

"Regarding the resignation of Former Deputy Director Jo Sang-jun, rumors reported by some media outlets on internal conflicts related to personnel affairs are completely groundless," the state spy agency said in a press release.

A former senior prosecutor, Jo is known as one of Yoon's close aides, along with Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon. He was appointed to the NIS post in June.

The quick succession of events, including the fact that Jo reported first to the presidential office and not to NIS Director Kim Kyou-hyun, led to reports that Jo had clashed with Kim over personnel issues or had health problems. (Yonhap)