South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun accepted Prime Minister Goh Kun's offer to resign on Friday evening, according to Yoon Tai-young, spokesman of the Presidential Office.

The resignation came hours after South Korean Constitutional Court reinstated Roh's presidential rights by rejecting the impeachment motion passed by the National Assembly on March 12.

Goh rendered his resignation when he had supper with Roh on Friday evening, said Yoon, adding Roh at last accepted the resignation after Goh expressed strong will to leave the position.

Roh expressed pity and gratitude to Goh. Roh also gave high evaluation to Goh for his effort to manage the state affairs when Roh was kept away from office.

Goh had been served as acting president since Roh's administrative rights suspended on the same day the parliament passed the bill.

Goh had told reporters earlier that he would resign after the Constitutional Court made a ruling favored Roh on the impeachment case, winding up his 44-year career as a government official.

Goh was appointed by Roh as prime minister in February 2003.

Analysts said Goh's resignation paved the way for Roh to bring prominent figures in the pro-government Uri Party into the cabinet.

Meanwhile, it is widely reported that Roh will conduct reshuffle of his senior aids first, and then make shakeup of the cabinet around mid-June.

Roh is likely to nominate former Gyeongsang Province Governor Kim Hyuck-kyu as prime minister in the near future. Kim quit the opposition Grand National Party to join the Uri Party earlier this year.

Uri Party's Chairman Chung Dong-young and its former floor leader Kim Geun-tae are likely to be appointed as new information minister and unification minister.

But the nomination of prime minister needs endorsement of the National Assembly, which will kick off new session on June 5.