Korean leader under fire over huge Viagra order

South Korea’s main opposition, the Democratic Party announced on Monday that it will initiate impeachment proceedings against President Park Geun-hye, if she does not step down after having been declared an accomplice in a corruption case.

As soon as early December, the special prosecutor is expected to focus his or her investigation on 14 specific areas The Cabinet passage of legislation for a special prosecutor’s investigation of allegations surrounding Choi Sun-sil on November 22 means the prosecutors’ baton in probing allegations of government interference by Choi and President Park Geun-hye will soon be passed on.

More than 50 local firms including Samsung and Hyundai were forced to donate a total of 77.4 billion won (S$93.3 million) to the two foundations controlled by Ms Choi. Which would require agreement from six of the nine judges on South Korea’s Constitutional Court.

Under the constitution, a sitting president can not be indicted unless on charges of treason, but the conclusion by the prosecutors that Park was involved in the case prompted fresh calls from opposition parties for her to step down.

As chairwoman between 2004-2006, Park was credited with turning around the party’s political fortunes, winning a number of key polls and earning her the nickname “Queen of Elections”.

But Park’s purchasing record is far from her biggest worry.

The People’s Party is calling for Park to appoint a prime minister selected by the National Assembly to take over in the event she resigns or is removed from office.

A sitting president cannot be charged with a criminal offence except insurrection or treason, but she can be investigated and potentially charged once her term is over. Park is protected from indictment while in office, making her voluntary resignation improbable. The party that initiated the impeachment process is the People’s Party, and it has only 38 seats in Parliament.

After the prosecution office said on Sunday that Park had conspired with her decades-long friend in criminal acts, Park’s lawyer said he would reject any request to question the president.

But while the storm in Kenya has since calmed, Geun-hye is fighting a tsunami that threatens her presidency.

Park, however, has remained steadfast in her determination to retain power, arguing that the management of the government can not be suspended even for a short period. Kim Moo-sung, a former Saenuri Party leader who now leads a faction critical of Park, has publicly backed impeachment, raising the possibility that a critical mass of conservative lawmakers could cross the aisle to demand the president’s ouster.

South Korea can ill-afford to keep struggling for any protracted length of time with the stormy political situation that is posing a serious threat to the country’s own security and economic interests. But, he added, “Even if I’m wrong: If she stays, power vacuum”.