President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday accepted the resignation of Hwang Sang-moo, senior presidential secretary for civil and social agenda, who came under fire for making intimidating remarks to reporters.

Hwang has been under fire after he made remarks in jest about how journalists could face retribution for running anti-government stories while recalling the 1988 stabbing of a journalist by soldiers of the military intelligence command.

His resignation came amid growing worries over how his issues could negatively affect next month’s general elections, especially the swing voters in the wider Seoul metropolitan region that the party has been wooing so hard.

Source: Yonhap News Agency