Lee Bae-yong, the chairperson of the National Education Commission, has stepped down amid controversy over allegations that she was appointed to the ministerial post because she gave a gold turtle to former first lady Kim Keon-hee.

Lee announced her resignation on Monday in a statement, saying she feels sorry about the situation and will cooperate faithfully with the investigation and clarify facts about the allegations.

Lee’s resignation comes after special counsel Min Joong-ki’s team raided Lee’s residence last week while investigating corruption allegations against Kim.

During a search related to corruption allegations against Kim’s family on Thursday last week, Min’s team reportedly found evidence suggesting that Lee had given Kim a gold turtle.

The special counsel team suspects Lee got her post in exchange for the turtle.