South Korea's President Kim Dae-jung has said parliament's veto of his nominee for prime minister is a blow for the country's women.

It is deplorable to see the appointment of... such a good female leader... fail to get parliamentary approval

President Kim Dae-jung

The National Assembly voted on Wednesday to reject the appointment of Chang Sang as South Korean's first female prime minister.

Mr Kim said South Korea could not expect to become a successful nation if women continued to play a secondary role.

The vote against Ms Chang followed bitter wrangling in parliament this week over allegations that she was morally unsuitable for the post.

Setback for feminism

But Mr Kim said that her rejection was a loss for South Korea.

"A female premier could have led progress in women's issues in our country, where there is a tradition of male chauvinism and where female employment rates are below 50% and women do not properly advance to managerial posts."

He added that it would be impossible to pursue South Korea's aim of becoming "one of the four biggest economies and a first-rate country in the world" if the role of women remained weak.

Only 16 of the country's 259 national legislators are female.

Ms Chang, the former president of Seoul's elite Ewha Women's University, was nominated in a July cabinet reshuffle by President Kim.

But parliamentary approval was required after the GNP questioned her suitability. Ms Chang has denied any wrongdoing.

The accusations:

• Real estate speculation: Some legislators questioned property deals Ms Chang made in the late 1980s.

  While property speculation is not illegal in South Korea it is subject to high government taxation and raises ethical problems when high-profile leaders are involved.

  Ms Chang said she and several university colleagues bought a piece of land outside Seoul to set up a nursing home for the elderly.

• Misrepresenting her qualifications: Ms Chang was accused of stating on her CV that she held a degree from the USA's renowned Princeton University, rather than Princeton Theological Seminary.

  Ms Chang said her aides made a translation mistake, believing the two schools to be connected.

• Encouraging her son's US citizenship: Legislators accused Ms Chang of urging her eldest son to take US citizenship in order to avoid compulsory military service.

  They also questioned why he qualified for free South Korean health care.

  Ms Chang said her son, who was born in the US in 1973, chose US citizenship over South Korean citizenship in 1978.

The vote against Ms Chang will be seen as a further blow to President Kim Dae-jung, who has already been tainted by a rash of scandals involving his sons and close aides.