The chief of staff to President Moon Jae-in apologized Friday after Moon's pick for Cabinet minister gave up his nomination in the wake of criticism over his religious and historical views.

The withdrawal of Park Seong-jin, an engineering professor, as nominee for minister in charge of SMEs and startups came after the National Assembly adopted a confirmation hearing report that found him unfit for the job.

The report, which came just days after parliament's unprecedented rejection of a Constitutional Court chief nominee, dealt a further blow to Moon, with critics raising questions about the presidential office's personnel screening system.

"Nominee Park announced he is renouncing the nomination saying he would follow the National Assembly's will," presidential chief of staff Im Jong-seok told reporters. "Cheong Wa Dae also respects and accepts the National Assembly's assessment, and will listen more carefully to the assembly's voice."
 

Im said he feels sorry to Park for the hardship he has gone through since the nomination.

"I am truly apologetic and sorry about the concern people have expressed about the prolonged personnel disputes," Im said. "I also offer words of promise that I will try to better serve the people."

Park has been dogged by criticism over his religious and historical views, including his past activity as a member of the Korea Association for Creation Research, an entity that some argue denies evolutionary theory and specializes in creation science.

He has also been criticized over remarks that South Korea was founded in 1948, a view strongly advocated by conservatives and the ousted former leader Park Geun-hye. Moon has insisted the national foundation dates back to 1919, when the country's provisional government was established in Shanghai during Japan's colonial rule.

Im said that the presidential office is working on a project to improve its personnel selection system to make sure to put the best people in the right positions regardless of their ideological or political backgrounds of candidates.

He also called on the National Assembly to confirm the pending Supreme Court chief nominee, Kim Meong-su, before the current chief leaves office at the end of next week, saying the position has never been left vacant due to a delay in the parliamentary process.

Opposition parties intensified calls for Cheong Wa Dae to overhaul its personnel vetting process, highlighting a series of top-level appointment failures.

Moon's previous picks for the justice and labor ministers, and a court justice designate, renounced their nominations amid public disapproval. Top security and science officials also bowed out over disputes about their qualifications. The parliamentary rejection this week of the Constitutional Court chief nominee added to the list.

"Another appointment fiasco occurred, and this reveals problems with those in charge of the personnel management at the presidential office," Jun Hee-kyung, the spokeswoman of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party, told reporters. She demanded the president's chief civil affairs secretary step down.

The minor opposition Bareun Party echoed the view, saying the latest "personnel fiasco" will go down in history.

"(The presidential office) should now reveal who recommended the president nominate (Park), and hold that person responsible (for the failure)," Park Jeong-ha, the party spokesman, said in a commentary.

The People's Party also called for an improvement of the personnel vetting apparatus to avoid further disruption in state management.

The ruling Democratic Party said it "respects" Park's decision, while voicing the expectation that the presidential office will quickly nominate another figure who is "in line with public sentiment." (Yonhap)