South Korean lawmakers delay vote to impeach President Park

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South Korean President Park Geun-hye bows during her speech to the nation at the presidential Blue House in Seoul. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 9:30pm, 30 Nov 2016Updated: 9:28am, 1 Dec 2016

An impeachment vote against South Korea’s scandal-hit president will be postponed by at

least a week, lawmakers said on Wednesday, after Park Geun-hye announced she was willing to stand down early.

Watch: Park says she’ll resign after lawmakers act

This weekend protest is crucial in deciding the future direction of the political course of this country

Professor Lee Yeon-ho of Yonsei University

Lawmakers from Park’s own party had backed moves to impeach her tomorrow, but now want the issue discussed in parliament before holding a vote, likely to be scheduled a week later.

The presidential Blue House also said Park would cooperate with a new round of investigations into the scandal, submitting herself to face-to-face interrogations by a freshly appointed special prosecutor.

Park said on Tuesday she would let parliament decide her fate following accusations that she colluded with Choi Soon-sil – a secretive confidante dubbed “Korea’s Rasputin” – to coerce firms to “donate” tens of millions of dollars to charitable foundations which were used for Choi’s personal gain.

Park has been named as a suspect in the investigation, making her the first sitting president to be subject to a criminal probe while in office.

“Once lawmakers come up with measures to transfer power in a way that minimises any power vacuum and chaos in governance, I will step down,” she said in a live video address.