PITTSBURGH - A retired bishop in the United Methodist Church is resigning for personal reasons, effective Thursday, following an unspecified complaint, the church said.

Hae-Jong Kim, 70, became the church's first Korean-American bishop when he was elected in July 1992. He had been bishop of the church in Western Pennsylvania for four years until his retirement last September.

The church received a complaint in January and it was handled in accordance with the United Methodist Book of Discipline, said Bishop Peter D. Weaver, president of the church's Council of Bishops.

He would not disclose the nature of the complaint, citing confidentiality.

"What we can say is ... that a just resolution has been agreed to by all parties" - the person who lodged the complaint, church officials and Kim, Weaver said Wednesday.

"That's not meant to try to hide things. It's meant to be part of a just treatment of all individuals," Weaver said.

Bishops are elected for life in the Methodist Church and while they hold no official responsibilities in retirement, they may be given temporary duties. Kim will retain clergy standing, meaning he'll retain the title of reverend, in the Greater New Jersey Conference, Weaver said.

After he retired, Kim taught at Drew Theological Seminary in Madison, N.J., until the end of June, when his contract expired.

The contract was not due to be renewed, but it had nothing to do with the complaint, said the school's dean, Maxine Clark Beach.

After he was elected bishop, Kim presided over the church's New York West Conference until 2000, when he was assigned to Pittsburgh.

Weaver said such resignations are uncommon. The Methodist Church has 67 active bishops throughout the world and a similar number of retired bishops.