S Korean minister quits in US row

By Charles Scanlon BBC correspondent in Seoul

South Korea's home affairs minister has been forced out of office in a bitter row over relations with the United States.

Opposition politicians accuse the minister, Kim Doo-gwan, of failing to stop a demonstration at an American military base last month.

Opinion is divided on the US military presence in South Korea

Mr Kim submitted his resignation more than a week after losing a no-confidence vote in the national assembly.

Members of the conservative opposition said he had not done enough to prevent a raid by students on a US firing range in August.

They said the sight of 12 protesters clambering over an American tank at the range had damaged relations with Washington.

Mr Kim was caught up in a bitter debate between those who support a strong alliance with the US and those who see the Bush administration as the cause of conflict and tension with North Korea.

President Roh Moo-hyun has been trying to steer a middle path, while maintaining a conciliatory policy towards the North.

But the young and liberal home affairs minister was seen as a natural target by right-wing critics of the administration.