South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has nominated a former military officer to replace Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup, who has submitted his resignation. This comes as the main opposition party has said it will push for Lee's impeachment.

The presidential office announced the nomination of Shin Won-sik, a ruling-party lawmaker, on Wednesday.

The opposition party's push for the minister's impeachment is in response to the death of a soldier, who was swept away in July in a river. He had been searching for missing people amid heavy rain. Lee allegedly put pressure on military investigators working on the case.

Lee held senior positions in South Korea's military, and was picked as defense minister when President Yoon took office in May last year. He worked to deepen security ties with the United States and Japan, among other efforts.

Lee told local media he submitted his resignation to prevent a vacuum in security matters.