S. Korean steelmaker POSCO CEO resigns

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean steelmaker POSCO said on Friday chief executive Chung Joon-yang is leaving, the second major management change in the country's private sector in less than a month. The move comes after months of media speculation that he may come under pressure to quit because a new government led by President Park Geun-hye took office in February. KT Corp, South Korea's biggest fixed-line operator, announced last week its CEO, Lee Suk-chae, was resigning after prosecutors raided its headquarters amid a widening corruption probe. POSCO and KT Corp have often seen CEOs quit before their terms expire when a new government takes office because the companies were once state-owned and the government retains a large amount of influence over their operations. "Despite challenging business conditions, POSCO has reported strong performances, but I've decided to leave so that a new leadership can lead POSCO's growth as a leading global company," Chung said in a statement. He said that there has been no external pressure for him to leave. POSCO plans to form a CEO nomination committee, which will recommend a candidate at its shareholders meeting scheduled in March. Local media reports said Park's election campaign aide, Kim Jong-in, and SK Innovation CEO Koo Ja-young, who was a former managing director at POSCO, are among the potential candidates to succeed Chung. (Reporting by Miyoung Kim; Editing by Matt Driskill)