President Park Geun-hye Agrees to Resign
On November 29, South Korean President Park Geun-hye officially declared her willingness to accept the results of a pending parliamentary impeachment vote. To pass, the impeachment bill requires a two-thirds majority of the National Assembly, or 200 votes. This announcement came as over 2.3 million protesters marched into Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul for the sixth consecutive weekend to demand Park’s resignation after accusations that her friend, Choi Soon-sil, had access to various confidential documents, influenced government appointments, and received massive financial contributions from large corporations at the president’s request. This is one of the largest anti-government protests for the country since 1987, when people gathered to oppose the dictatorial rule of former president Chun Doo-hwan. Families, students, and union members filled Gwanghwamun Square in downtown Seoul, holding candles aloft. They held posters that said “Park Geun-hye OUT!” and chanted slogans against the president.
With her approval ratings below 5 percent, Park has agreed to resign and asked the national assembly to decide the terms of her resignation. Her party has suggested an April resignation followed by a presidential election in June; whereas, the opposition party and the protesters are calling for immediate resignation or impeachment.
“This is nothing but a sly trick to avoid impeachment...What the people wanted was her immediate resignation,” said Youn Kwan-suk, a spokesman for the leading opposition Democratic Party.
Representative Chung Jin-suk, the party floor leader and Park-loyalist, said an immediate resignation would result in hasty elections that the people do not want. “If the parliament passes the impeachment motion, we would have only to wait for the Constitutional Court's decision, which will lead to further confusion in state affairs," Chung said.
Independent counsel Park Young-soo (no relation) has been appointed as the special prosecutor to lead an investigation into the corruption scandal. Park, famous for investigating major corruption cases regarding conglomerates during his time in the Prosecutor’s Office, was chosen among two candidates that the opposition parties recommended to the Blue House, South Korea’s executive.
Early reports from the special prosecutor’s team establish President Park as a “criminal suspect” involved in a variety of criminal acts including—but not limited to—extortion and abuse of official power. The team has stated that it will execute thorough investigations of her aides and businesses charged with involvement in the scandal. Such investigations may reveal new evidence that substantiates existing allegations or leads to new ones.
The Blue House has denied allegations against Park, calling them “groundless and politically biased.” Park, in her third address to the nation, claimed that she had no self-interest in her dealing with Choi.
The opposition party needs 28 of the 128 lawmakers from the governing party to ensure Park’s impeachment before December 9 when the current parliamentary session closes. Meanwhile, the protests continue, day and night.
