South Korea opposition to vote on President Park Geun-hye’s impeachment on December 9
If Park is impeached or resigns she will be the first democratically elected South Korea president not to serve a full term
South Korea’s opposition parties said on Friday they will vote on a motion to impeach scandal-tainted President Park Geun-hye on December 9, vowing to push ahead with a risky political move while her own party remains undecided whether to force her out.
Park has offered to resign and asked parliament on Tuesday to decide how and when she should step down over the influence peddling scandal but the opposition parties have rejected it as a ploy to buy time and avoid impeachment.
The three opposition parties will pursue impeachment through close cooperation and without wavering
If Park is impeached or resigns she will be the first democratically elected South Korea president not to serve a full term.
The three opposition parties, with a combined 165 seats in the 300-member parliament, can bring the impeachment motion but will need some members from Park’s Saenuri Party to bring the vote to the two-thirds majority required to pass the bill.
“The three opposition parties will pursue impeachment through close cooperation and without wavering,” a spokesman for the main opposition Democratic Party, Ki Dong-min said.
“The motion will be proposed today. It will be reported to the plenary session on the 8th and we will bring the impeachment motion to a vote on the 9th,” he said.
Park is accused of colluding with a personal friend, who has been indicted for abuse of power, to put undue pressure on the country’s large conglomerates to contribute money to foundations that were set up to promote her policy initiatives. Park has denied any wrongdoings but has apologised to the nation.