Culture minister resigns; says preliminary mission accomplished

Taipei, Dec. 1 (CNA) Culture Minister Lung Ying-tai said Monday that she has decided to resign and will not return to her post as minister following the Cabinet's en masse resignation.

"I am filled with gratitude," Lung said at a press conference in which she thanked her co-workers and people from the cultural and business sectors for their hard work and support over the past three years.

She said that her ministry has accomplished its "first mile" of work and that she is confident a solid infrastructure has been laid for the future development of the country's culture and arts.

Lung said she tendered her resignation before Taiwan's nine-in-one local government elections Saturday in which the ruling Kuomintang (KMT) suffered a humiliating rout.

Premier Jiang Yi-huah announced his resignation that day to take responsibility for the KMT's crushing defeat.

(By Christie Chen; click here for the updated story)ENDITEM/J