South Korean presidential office apologises over appointments

The presidential office issued a public apology Saturday for mishandling personnel affairs after half a dozen nominees for senior government posts have resigned over alleged ethical lapses and other problems over the past month."As head of the Presidential Committee for Personnel Affairs, I am very apologetic for causing concern to the people over personnel issues of the new government," presidential chief of staff Huh Tae-yeol said in a statement. "We will try to ensure everything goes right by strengthening the vetting system."The apology came as President Park Geun-hye's approval ratings have been on the decline in the month since she took office amid public criticism over the series of resignations by nominees for senior jobs.