President Kim Dae-jung has ordered his cabinet to take precautions to protect Korean residents in Argentina. The Foreign Ministry said some Korean businesses were looted. A Korean food store near Buenos Aires suffered one hundred-60 thousand dollars worth of damage after rampaging locals stormed and looted the store. There are 25-thousand Koreans living in the Latin American nation. On Thursday, Argentine President Fernando de la Rua stepped down and fled his pink palace in a helicopter after days of unrest that has left at least 24 dead. In a brief letter of resignation, De la Rua said he hopes his resignation will contribute to pacifying the country and maintaining the institutional continuity of the nation. Senate chief Ramon Puerta of the opposition Peronists who rebuffed De la Rua's coalition offer is now in charge under the constitution.